‌Let's start with verse 1 of Genesis 3:
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Genesis 3:1 NKJV
1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
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Satan entered into a serpent in order to bring about man's fall. We know that it was Satan talking through the serpent because Revelation 12:9 calls Satan "that serpent of old".  In the Garden, Satan's initial strategy was to misrepresent what God said. God never said, “You shall not eat of every tree”. There was only one tree that God forbade, namely the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Our passage continues...
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Genesis 3:2–5 NKJV
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
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Satan wanted Eve to believe the following two incorrect things about God:
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1. God is a liar - “You will not surely die”
2. God is withholding something good from you - “your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil”.

B‌e assured that the devil also wants you not to trust God, and to believe that you are missing out by avoiding what God prohibits.

The next verse states:

Genesis 3:6 NKJV
6 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.
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The woman noticed that the forbidden tree was:
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1. Good for food
2. ‌Pleasant to the eyes
3. ‌Desirable to make one wise

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It is the last of these that is of interest here.  According to Genesis 2:9, all the other trees in the garden were "pleasant to the sight and good for food". What was different about the forbidden tree is that it was also “desirable to make one wise”. The wisdom that the tree would give is the knowledge of good and evil. In other words, the tree would enable Adam and Eve to be their own source of moral wisdom. They would no longer need to ask God regarding what is right and wrong; they would have that knowledge for themselves. So Eve was tempted with independence from God. She would be able to be her own boss.
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But notice that the devil didn’t speak to Eve in that way. He was much more subtle. He simply said, “you will be like God, knowing good and evil”. When the devil tempts you, He won’t necessarily tell you that what he is tempting you with is a sin.  Instead, he will make it seem like it is something that is not so bad. However, his goal is to cut you off from God. To rob you of Eden, and as we will see, that is exactly what happened with Adam and Eve.

Our passage continues...
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Genesis 3:7 NKJV
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
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At the end of chapter 2, we were told that Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed (Genesis 2:25). But now, having partaken of the forbidden fruit, they suddenly feel a sense of shame regarding their nakedness. So they make themselves coverings (the Hebrew word means "loincloths"). But suddenly, something else happens...
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Genesis 3:8–10 NKJV
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
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Adam and Eve's obsession with nakedness continues. They don’t want even God to see them naked, so they hide among the trees. The next verse tells us how God responded:‌
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Genesis 3:11 NKJV
11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
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“Who told you that you were naked?” That is an important question. To this day, humans are the only creatures that feel it necessary to wear clothes. Animals are quite content being naked. ‌So God's question was a good one. He was in effect asking “From where did you get this awareness that you are naked?”
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Next, God asked Adam a very direct question - “have you eaten from the tree?” Adam responds as follows:
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Genesis 3:12 NKJV
12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
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Notice that Adam didn’t say “yes”. Instead, he came up with an excuse. He blamed his wife. So far, their transgression had affected their relationship with God - they were hiding from Him. But now it also affected their relationship with each other. That is the devil’s strategy, he wants to ruin your relationship with God, and he wants to ruin your relationships with other people.

After Adam's response, God gave Eve the chance to respond:
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Genesis 3:13 NKJV
13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
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So, like Adam, she blames someone else - the serpent. God is now ready to render His judgement on all involved...
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Genesis 3:14 NKJV
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.
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In this verse, serpents are cursed so that they now will have to crawl on the ground. It would seem that they may have initially had limbs, but God’s curse removed them. But there was more to come...‌

‌Genesis 3:15 NKJV
15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
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On one level, this simply describes the natural hostility between humans and snakes. But ultimately it points to the hostility between Satan and Christ. Christ is the Seed of the woman. God says that He “shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel”. To be bruised on the heel is painful. But to be bruised on the head is fatal. Therefore, this passage anticipates Christ’s victory over Satan. It is a victory that we also participate in, which is why Paul told the Roman Christians, "the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly..." (Romans 16:20 NKJV)
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So, the serpent was cursed. But Eve and Adam were not going to be let off the hook...
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Genesis 3:16 NKJV
16 To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”
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Eve has a lot to answer for. She is to blame for the fact that giving birth is painful, and for the fact that throughout most of human history, women have not enjoyed equal status with men.
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But now it is Adam’s turn to hear his judgement...
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Genesis 3:17–19 NKJV
17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”
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Growing crops would now be very difficult, and death would now be certain.

The next verses say:
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Genesis 3:20–21 NKJV
20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
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So Adam named his wife “Eve” which means “life”/”living”. She was given this name because she was the mother of all living. Therefore, every one of us descends from Adam and Eve.
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Notice that despite God’s judgement on humanity, He still cared for them, and provided them with clothing. Earlier, Adam and Eve had made their coverings from fig leaves, but notice that God made them clothing from "skin". This means that an animal had to be killed to provide adequate covering for Adam and Eve. This points ultimately to the fact that in order for our sins to be covered, Jesus had to die for us to make a covering for our sins. That covering is known as “atonement”. In Hebrew, that word means “covering”. Jesus' blood covers our sins and blots them out.

Our passage continues...
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Genesis 3:22–24 NKJV
22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
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Notice that Adam and Eve were not created immortal. In order to have everlasting life, they would have to eat from the tree of life. But, because they were disobedient to God, they were forbidden access to the tree of life and banished from the Garden of Eden. However, the good news is that Jesus came to reverse the curse. You see, the tree of life in Eden ultimately points to Jesus. It is Jesus who is the true tree of life. He said:
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John 6:54 NKJV
54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
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Whenever we partake of holy communion, we are partaking of the true tree of life. Notice that Jesus said, “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life”. In other words, we have eternal life right now. But then, He adds, “and I will raise him up at the last day”. Seeing as we have eternal life now, why do we still die and then need to be resurrected in the future? In order to make sense of this, we should note that when Adam and Eve sinned, they immediately died spiritually. In other words, their relationship with God was ruined. All of us, as their descendants, are born spiritually dead. Our former state of spiritual death is described in the following two verses:
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Ephesians 2:1 NKJV
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
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Ephesians 4:18 NKJV
18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;
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When Adam and Eve sinned, they immediately died spiritually. That's why God told Adam - "in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:17 NKJV). They experienced spiritual death the moment they ate the forbidden fruit. And then much later, they died physically (Adam didn't die until he was 930 years old!). 
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Jesus restores us in the same order. First He puts eternal life into our hearts. Jesus described this eternal life in His prayer to the Father:
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John 17:3 NKJV
3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
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True eternal life is not just living forever. Rather, it is living forever in intimate fellowship with God. It is "knowing" God, and that begins now. So, even as Adam and Eve first died spiritually, Jesus first restores our spiritual life, which is an intimate relationship with God. Then, even as Adam and Eve later died physically, so Jesus will later give us new immortal bodies when He comes. Furthermore, we will be restored to Eden. The Eden-like conditions we will enjoy when Jesus returns are described by Paul as follows:
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Romans 8:18–21 NLT
18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.
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Not only will we be restored, creation also will be restored. It will join us in "glorious freedom from death and decay". Such a prospect should cause us to say with Paul "Maran atha" - an Aramaic phrase that he used in 1 Corinthians 16:22 which means "O Lord, Come!"
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Summary:
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• Satan's strategy is to misrepresent what God said
• ‌Satan wants us to believe that God is a liar, and that He is withholding good from us
• ‌When Satan tempts you, he will make it seem like it is something that is not so bad
• ‌The awful state of the world is due to Adam and Eve's transgression
• Jesus has come to reverse the curse
• ‌Jesus is our Tree of Life who restores us to intimacy with God, and will give our bodies immortality
• ‌God will restore creation to Eden-like conditions when Jesus returns

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Let's go through our passage verse by verse...

Genesis 2:4–6 NKJV
4 This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the LORD God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground; 6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.
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When the earth was first created, there were no vegetation, no rain,  and no one to till the ground. As we will see, God dealt with the absence of vegetation by planting the Garden of Eden. God dealt with the absence of rain by causing a mist to water the ground. God dealt with the absence of a worker by creating the first human, which is described in verse 7:
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Genesis 2:7 NKJV
7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
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In the seven days of creation, God was referred to simply as “God” (“Elohim” in Hebrew). But in this passage, notice that God is now referred to as “the LORD God”. In Hebrew, that is “YHWH Elohim”. So now God is being referred to by His name - “YHWH” (often pronounced "Yahweh", but the correct pronunciation is uncertain). In other words, in this passage God is described in a much more personal way. We see God’s personal touch demonstrated in that He does not merely speak the human into existence. Instead, He takes a hands-on approach and actually forms the human from the dust and breathes into his nostrils the breath of life. This reminds us that God is a personal God. He has a name and wants us to know him.
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Our passage continues in verses 8 and 9...
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Genesis 2:8–9 NKJV
8 The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
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We were told earlier that there were no plants because there was no human to cultivate the land. Yet, here we read that God causes all these trees to grow in the garden of Eden without the human first cultivating the land! This teaches us that God doesn’t need us. He created us because He wants us. 
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In the garden there were lots of trees. Two of which were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The tree of life would enable humans to live forever. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil would enable humans to know good and evil for themselves, instead of depending on God for moral direction. More about that in a moment...
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But first, our passage will give us an idea of where this Garden of Eden was situated. It continues...
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Genesis 2:10–14 NKJV
10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
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Now, we know where the Euphrates is, and where the river Hiddekel is (which is also known as the river Tigris), but we don’t know where the other two rivers were. Nonetheless, from what we do know, it is clear that Eden was situated somewhere in the Ancient Near East. Suggested locations include the Persian Gulf (southern Iraq) or the mountains of Ararat.
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Our passage continues...
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Genesis 2:15–17 NKJV
15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
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As mentioned before, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would enable humans to be their own source of moral wisdom instead of getting that wisdom from God Himself. But notice that God didn’t want humans to eat of that tree. This is because God created us for relationship with Himself.  God never wanted us to live independently of Him, but rather to live in fellowship with Him. But to this day, people still are, so to speak, eating from that tree. They live according to their own wisdom and ideas, instead of looking to God’s word for guidance and wisdom.
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God warned the man, “the day you eat of it you shall surely die”.  And that is what happened. The man died spiritually when he ate of the tree.  And as a result, all of his descendants, except Jesus, are born spiritually dead. As Paul said to the Ephesians, about their existence prior to following Jesus:​ "As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins" (Ephesians 2:1 NIV). But, we haven’t yet reached the point in the story where humans partake of this tree, so let’s continue with our passage...
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Genesis 2:18 NKJV
18 And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”
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In other words, it was going to be a lot for the man to take care of the garden all by himself. So God decided to make a suitable companion for him.
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So it continues...
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Genesis 2:19–20 NKJV
19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
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So, the first man is now referred to as “Adam” and he names the various animals. This is not the initial creation of animals. That happened before humans were created as we saw in chapter 1. This particular creation of animals was specifically so that Adam could name them. But none of the animals were a suitable companion for him. So our passage continues...
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Genesis 2:21–23 NKJV
21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23 And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”
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So God was the first surgeon to perform surgery under general anaesthetic. He also was the first minister to officiate a wedding. But notice the contrast here: whereas the animals were formed from the ground, the woman was constructed directly from Adam’s body. As such, she was a companion of equivalent quality - equal to him. So, Adam called her Ishshah (pronounced "eeshah") which means “Woman”, because she was taken from Ish (pronounced "eesh") which means “Man”. So it's a play on words in Hebrew. She was called Ishshah because she was taken from Ish.
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Our passage continues...
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Genesis 2:24–25 NKJV
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
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So, we have here this wonderful picture of bliss and innocence. But whilst this is very much about human origins, ultimately this story points to Christ and the Church. Paul wrote:
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Ephesians 5:28–32 NKJV
28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 
29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 
30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 
31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 
32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
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The woman being taken from Adam represents the fact that the Church is Christ’s body. We are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.

The tradition of a man leaving his parents to be joined to his wife represents the fact that Jesus left His Father in heaven, came to earth, so that we could be spiritually one with Him.
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The duty of a husband to love his wife represents the fact that Jesus loves us.
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Furthermore, notice that Adam had to be put to sleep in order for the woman to be made. Even so, Jesus had to experience the sleep of death so that the Church could come forth.
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Also notice that God Himself was in the Garden of Eden. He was there when He formed the animals. He was there when He operated on Adam and built Eve. So the woman was in the Garden, not only with Adam, and also with God. This reminds us that there is an Eden waiting for us in heaven, where we will be with Jesus, and with God:
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John 14:1–3 NLT
1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.
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Jesus said to the church in Ephesus:
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Revelation 2:7 NKJV
7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ’
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The Greek word for "Paradise" is paradeisou. This is the word that was used for the Garden of Eden in the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament (i.e. the Septuagint). The Paradise of God that Jesus mentions here is the heavenly Eden, where we will be reunited with the tree of life and be with Jesus and God forever.
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The fact that God was in the Garden indicates that Eden was also a Temple, and Adam and his wife (who would later become known as Eve), were priests in that Temple. This seems to be why when Solomon built the Temple, we read the following:
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1 Kings 6:29 NKJV
29 Then he carved all the walls of the temple all around, both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.
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Why were palm trees and flowers carved on the Temple walls? Because the temple was also a garden. Notice also that cherubim featured in the Temple. In Genesis 3:24, cherubim were positioned at the east of the Garden of Eden. Again, Garden imagery is applied to the Temple.
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The fact that Adam and Eve were priests in this Garden-Temple corresponds to the fact that Christ and His Church are priests. Jesus is called "a great High Priest" (Hebrews 4:14), and the Church is called "a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9).  It is only priests who can enter the temple. So the fact that we are priests reminds us that we have the privilege of approaching God. But priests not only have the privilege of approaching God, they also have the sacred duty of offering sacrifices to Him. Even so, as God’s royal priests, we have the sacred duty of continually offering God sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving (see Hebrews 13:5).
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Because Eden was also God’s temple, whilst Jesus referred to our future inheritance as “the Paradise of God”; He also referred to our future inheritance as a temple, saying:
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Revelation 3:12 (NKJV)
‌12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God...
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So whilst Genesis takes us back to the beginning, it also points us to the future. It shows us where we are going. Yes, things went wrong in the Garden, but the good news is that Paradise will be restored when Jesus comes again.
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I want us to be left with the thought of how much Jesus loves us. When He thinks of you, He says, “You are my flesh and my bones.... you are part of My very being". He died for you so that you could be with Him forever in Paradise. We can therefore be assured that whatever we are facing, whatever we fear, whatever our circumstance may be, the One who truly loves us is with us, and cares deeply about us. He will do for us what is best. And He will see to it that His good purpose for our lives comes to pass.
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Paul prayed for the Ephesians that they would “know the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:19). To know the love of Christ, there is one place that we must look, and that place is the cross. There, on the cross, the love that God has for us was revealed in Christ. The following verses testify to this:
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Revelation 1:5 (NKJV)
‌5 [Jesus] loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
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Romans 5:8 NKJV
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
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1 John 4:10 NKJV
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
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The word “propitiation” means that Christ offered Himself as a sacrifice to appease God’s wrath against sin and sinners. Jesus bore God’s wrath in our place so that our sins could be forgiven, escape eternal condemnation, be restored to Eden, be restored to priesthood, and be restored to closeness with God. As the old hymn says, "Hallelujah! What a Saviour!"
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‌Summary
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• God is a personal God. He has a name and wants us to know Him.
• ‌‌God doesn’t need us. However, He created us because He wants us.
• ‌God created us for a relationship with Himself.  God never wanted us to live independently of Him, but rather to live in fellowship with Him.
• ‌‌Before we came to Christ, we were spiritually dead.
• The creation of Adam and Eve, ultimately points to Christ and the Church.
• ‌We look forward to a heavenly Temple-Garden, where we will be with Jesus and with God forever.
• ‌The love that God has for us was revealed in Christ when He died for us on the cross so that we could be forgiven and restored to God.

After describing the six days of creation, Genesis continues the narrative as follows:
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Genesis 2:1–3 NKJV
1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 
2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 
3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
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One of the reasons Genesis was written was to help the ancient Jews to understand where their various traditions came from. One of those traditions was keeping the Sabbath as a day of rest. The Sabbath was from Friday evening to Saturday evening.  It was on this day that the Jews went to the synagogue to worship God and to hear His word. The reason for keeping the Sabbath was that God Himself rested on the seventh day, after completing the creation of the world in six days. Furthermore, we are told that God blessed the seventh day and "sanctified" it, which means that He consecrated that day, setting it apart for rest.
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Keeping the Sabbath became part of the law that God gave to Israel. For us Christians, who are not under the law of Moses, keeping the Sabbath is not mandatory as the following passage makes clear:
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Romans 14:5–6 (NKJV)
‌5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 
‌6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it...
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Of course, it is still wise for us to have a day of rest. However, it is not a religious requirement for Christians. The reason for this is that the Sabbath day was actually symbolic of the true rest that is available to us through Christ:
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Colossians 2:16–17 NLT
16 So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. 17 For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.
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So Christ is the reality that the Sabbath day pointed to. In other words, only in Christ can we find true rest for our souls. Jesus Himself said:
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Matthew 11:28–30 NKJV
28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
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The heavy load that was on those that Jesus addressed is likely a reference to the various traditions that God never commanded but were nonetheless imposed on the people by the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. These were very burdensome. But Jesus is not like that. Instead, His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
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Notice that Jesus says,  “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, and you will find rest for your souls”.  In other words, follow Me, and you will find rest for your souls. This rest is not a peace that comes from being perfect. It is a peace that comes from knowing that we are on the right path because we are following Jesus. But we cannot have peace if we are afraid that every time you slip up Jesus will severely chastise you. However, our souls are at rest because Jesus says He is “gentle and lowly in heart”. In other words, He is gentle in His dealings with us. Also, because He is gentle with us, He doesn't give us more than we can bear but gives us the grace to deal with anything we face. He knows what it is to be human, and He knows our weaknesses - "Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested" (Hebrews 2:18 NLT).
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Let us look again at the seventh day in Genesis 2:2-3:‌
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Genesis 2:2–3 NKJV
2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
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Notice that it doesn’t say, “So the evening and the morning were the seventh day”. On the other six days, we read, “So the evening and the morning were the first day”, “So the evening and the morning were the second day” etc. However, that is not said on the seventh day. Because of this, many believe that the seventh day never ended, and that we are still in the seventh day today. Bearing that in mind, let us now consider what the book of Hebrews says about the seventh day. ‌
The author of Hebrews told his readers that God's rest was available to the Israelites, but they failed to enter it because of their unbelief (Hebrews 3:19). He went on to say:
‌​
Hebrews 4:3–4 NLT
3 For only we who believe can enter his rest. As for the others, God said, “In my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest,’ ” even though this rest has been ready since he made the world. 4 We know it is ready because of the place in the Scriptures where it mentions the seventh day: “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.”
‌
So God’s seventh day of rest was something that the Israelites could have potentially entered into, but they didn’t. It continues in verse 7...
‌
Hebrews 4:7 (NLT)
‌7 So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today....
‌‌
So today, through faith in Jesus, we enter into God’s own rest. But what is this rest? It continues in verses 9-10...
‌​
Hebrews 4:9–10 NLT
9 So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. 10 For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world.
‌
So, to enter God’s rest means that we rest from our labors, as God did on the seventh day. This means that we rest from are our own efforts to achieve salvation. Instead, we rest in God’s grace:
‌​
Ephesians 2:8–9 NLT
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
‌
The fact that we have been saved by God’s grace does not mean that we can now sin as much as want. Those who have been saved by God's grace have also been given a new nature that desires to live a life that pleases God:
‌
1 John 3:9 NLT
9 Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.
‌
As such, those who wilfully live lives that violate God’s commandments show by their actions that they have not yet entered into God’s rest.

Those who have entered God’s rest do not trust in their own ability to live righteously. Instead, they depend on the strength that comes from the Holy Spirit to empower them and to keep them on the path that leads to life (see Galatians chapter 5).
‌
As we come to the end of this blog post, I want to remind us of an excellent example of rest in the midst of a storm:‌
​
Luke 8:22–25 NLT
22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and started out. 
23 As they sailed across, Jesus settled down for a nap. But soon a fierce storm came down on the lake. The boat was filling with water, and they were in real danger. 
24 The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and the raging waves. Suddenly the storm stopped and all was calm. 
25 Then he asked them, “Where is your faith?” The disciples were terrified and amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “When he gives a command, even the wind and waves obey him!”
‌
In the midst of the storm, Jesus rested. This is a picture of the fact that in the midst of the storms we face, our hearts should be at rest because we know that God is with us. And if God is with us, our boat will reach its God-ordained destination. So let us cast aside anything that causes our hearts not to be at rest. Let us instead cause our hearts to think about God’s faithfulness and His power, and let us trust His plan for our lives!
‌
Philippians 4:6–7 NLT
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
‌

Summary:
‌

• Keeping the Sabbath is not a religious requirement for Christians, but it is still wise to have a day of rest.
• ‌The Sabbath day was symbolic of the true rest that is available to us in Christ.
• ‌Through following Jesus, we find rest for our souls.
• Jesus is gentle in His dealings with us.
• ‌Jesus doesn't give us more than we can bear, but gives us grace to deal with anything we face.
• ‌Entering God's grace means that we rest from our own efforts to achieve salvation, and instead rest in God's grace.
• Those who have been saved by God's grace have also been give a new nature that desires to live a life that pleases God.
• ‌Those who have entered God’s rest do not trust in their own ability to live righteously. Instead, they depend on the strength that comes from the Holy Spirit to keep and empower them.
• ‌In the midst of the storms we face, our hearts should be at rest because we know that God is with us.

‌Genesis 1:1 NKJV
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
‌
The word ‘heavens’ here simply means the sky. It encompasses everything you see when you look up. Later on in the Bible the word 'heaven’ is also used for God’s dwelling place, but initially, it simply refers to the sky.
‌‌
So this opening statement asserts that God created the universe. In the verses that follow, we will be given an account of how this creation happened...
‌
Genesis 1:2 NKJV
2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
‌
At the beginning of creation, the earth is described as being without form. In other words, it hadn’t yet been prepared. It was also void. In other words, it was empty. It hadn’t yet been filled with the wonderful things that God would soon place in His creation. Furthermore, the earth was covered in water. There was no sky, it was just water, and everything was dark. But God is about to do something about this, because His Spirit is hovering over the face of the waters, about to enact whatever God will command. So the next verse tells us...
‌
Genesis 1:3–5 NKJV
3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
‌
So, God creates light. The sun is not created until day four, so this light seems to refer to illumination in general. But notice how God created the light. He created it merely by speaking. Our English translation has four words - “let there be light”. But in Hebrew, it is only two words = “light be”. This portrays God as an all-powerful king - He speaks and it is done. This is why we pray to Him. It is because we know that He is all-powerful. In other words, He has power to do anything that He wants to do.
‌
At the end of verse 5 it says, "So the evening and the morning were the first day". Notice that evening comes before morning. There’s a very simple reason for this. This book was originally written to ancient Jews, and the Jewish day begins at the evening. For example, the Sabbath begins on Friday evening and ends on Saturday evening. That’s also how the first day happened. It began in darkness. And only after the darkness did God create light. So there was evening followed by morning - the first day.
‌
Our passage continues...
‌
Genesis 1:6 NKJV
6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
‌
Now remember, at this point the earth is still covered with water. So God creates something called a “firmament”, and places it in the midst of the water to divide the waters. But what is this firmament? We will see in the verses that follow...
‌
Genesis 1:7–8 NKJV
7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
‌
God calls this firmament “heaven”. As we have noted, in this chapter, “heaven” is simply a reference to the sky.  It refers to everything we see when we look up.  So in other words, the firmament is the sky. The Hebrew word for “firmament” refers to something spread out - an “expanse” - and therefore is a fitting word to use for the sky spread out over us.
‌
Notice that God creates the sky in the midst of the waters that covered the earth. So the sky separated these waters, so that you have water beneath the sky and water above it. We know what the water beneath the sky is. We call it the sea. But what is the water above the sky? To understand this, we need to go to the book of Job, which identifies the darkness that was upon the watery deep at the beginning of creation. God said to Job:

Job 38:8–9, NKJV
“8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors,
When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
9 When I made the clouds its garment,
And thick darkness its swaddling band;”

The thick dark clouds covered the watery deep.  The dark clouds are the darkness that was on th eface of the water deep. When God created light on the first day, this light illuminated the water and the thick clouds that were upon them. On the second day, God made a “firmament” to lift the thick clouds from the watery deep. On this day of creation, if you were standing on the sea and looked up, the highest thing you would see was the thick clouds above. Moses refers to these thick clouds as “the waters which were above the firmament” (Genesis 1:7). In the same chapter in which God told Job about the thick clouds He made at the beginning of creation, God also associated the clouds with water. God said to Job:

Job 38:34, NKJV
“ “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
That an abundance of water may cover you?”

Job 38:37, NKJV
“37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,”

Moses said that the clouds were “above the firmament” because on this second day of creation, from the vantage point of earth, the sky would have appeared to have stopped at the clouds that covered it. This is because nothing beyond the clouds was visible from earth.

This second day of creation is also spoken of in the book of Proverbs in which personified Wisdom says:

Proverbs 8:27–28, NKJV
“27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there,
When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He established the clouds above…”

In these verses, personified Wisdom claims to have been present when God created the world. The phrase “He prepared the heavens” refers to God creating the sky. The portrayal of God drawing “a circle on the face of the deep” refers to the creation of the horizon - the apparent bottom of the sky where the sea and sky appear to meet. This creative work is then associated with God establishing “the clouds above”. As this all took place on the second day of creation, this indicates that the waters “above the firmament” in Genesis 1:7 are indeed “the clouds above” mentioned in Proverbs 8:28. In Psalm 148:4, “waters above the heavens” are again the clouds. The first clause of the verse mentions the “heavens of heavens”. The waters are not said to be above the “heavens of heavens” but above “the heavens”. This indicates that the clouds are not above the totality of the heavens but above a good amount of them when viewed from earth.
 
Now let’s move on to the next day...
​
Genesis 1:9–13 NKJV
9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 
10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 
11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. 
12 And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 
13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.
‌
‌So, on the third day, God causes the dry land to appear, calls the water Seas, and also creates vegetation. God is basically continuing to get the planet ready for creatures to live on it. Without first creating the sky, and causing dry land to appear, the only type of creature that would be able to occupy the planet would be fish!  And without the vegetation, we would have nothing to eat.
‌
But there’s one more thing that God wants to do before he makes creatures... 
‌
Genesis 1:14–19 NKJV
14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 
15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 
16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 
17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, 
18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 
19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
‌‌
So on the fourth day God creates lights in the sky, which we know as the stars, the sun and the moon.  They are to give light on the earth, and their varying appearance will help humans to know when days and years begin, and also when it is time for particular religious festivals.  This is brought out clearly in the NIV’s rendering of verse 14 - “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years" (NIV). This would have had particular relevance for the Jews who were the original recipients of this book because they had religious, or “sacred” times, that they observed throughout the year. God delayed creating humans until he had first created the means by which they would be able to know when those sacred times were. This shows us that as humans, we do not exist to merely survive on this planet. If that were the case, the ability to know when it was time to observe special festivals would not need to be put in place before our creation. However, the fact that it was put in place first shows us that it was important to God that we were able to worship him in the manner that he prescribes. In other words, already in the fourth day of creation, we see that God is setting things in place so that he can have some form a relationship with us.  He is not merely creating us to eat and sleep, but to also have fellowship with Him.
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With that done, God is now ready to begin filling his creation with creatures...
‌
Genesis 1:20–23 NKJV
20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” 
21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 
22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 
23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
‌
So on day five God creates the fish and the birds. But why does God create the fish first, and then the birds? It is because God is very orderly. God created the water before He created the sky. Therefore, He first filled the water with fish and then creates the birds for the sky. After He created the sky, He caused dry land to appear, and so on day six, He is going to populate the land...
‌
Genesis 1:24–25 NKJV
24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. 
25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
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So God creates land animals to populate the land. Now, without any disrespect to our wonderful animal friends, God saved His best creation till last...
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Genesis 1:26–31 NKJV
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 
29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. 
30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. 
31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
‌
So God prescribed to all birds and land creatures a vegetarian diet. Originally, we were not supposed to be eating each other! It was not until after the Flood that God sanctioned meat as food.
‌
In verse 26, God said, "Let Us make man in Our image". Notice that humans are distinguished from all other creatures, in that they are said to have been created in God’s image. The image of God likely refers to God’s characteristics that He has reproduced in human beings. In the ancient world, kings were said to be in the image of their deity. Interestingly, because human beings bear God’s image, they are given the responsibility to rule God’s creation.
‌
But, whilst humans are in God’s image, they are not on God’s level. Notice that God refers to Himself as “us” and “our” in this verse - “let Us make man in Our image”. Whilst I believe that this ultimately hints at God’s conversation with His Son Jesus, the ancient Jew reading this would not have been aware of such a thing,  as that is not revealed until the New Testament. So how would ancient Jews have understood this? I believe they would likely have understood God’s use of “Us” and “Our” to be the plural of majesty. In other words, God is so majestic, that He is not merely “Me”; the vastness of His majesty is such that He can also refer to Himself as “Us”. So, whilst God creates humans in God’s image, we must never dare to think of ourselves as being on God’s level. He alone is the Majestic One, and remains infinitely superior to anything that He has created, including those He created in His own image. If we truly believe that, then we will bow before Him, and worship Him with humble and awe-filled adoration.
‌
Summary
‌

• God as all-powerful. He can do anything He wants. He speaks and it is done.
• ‌God meets us where are. He wants everyone to know Him, no matter how limited our understanding of the world is.
• ‌The purpose of the Bible is not a science lesson. The purpose of Scripture is to reveal the Creator and to show us how we can walk with Him.
• As humans, we do not exist to merely survive on this planet. God wants to have a relationship with us.
• ‌Whilst we humans are created in God’s image; we are not on God’s level - He alone is the Majestic One.

1. Know when to overlook a matter
‌
Proverbs 19:11 NKJV
11 The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger,
And his glory is to overlook a transgression.
‌‌

2. Don’t be an argumentative person
‌​
Proverbs 3:30 NKJV
30 Do not strive with a man without cause, If he has done you no harm.
‌
Proverbs 26:21 NKJV
21 As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire,
So is a contentious man to kindle strife.
‌​
Proverbs 17:19 NIV
19 Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin; whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.
‌
Note: there are people who love a quarrel! Don’t be one of them.
‌

3. If you want a peaceful life, mind your own business
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Proverbs 26:17 NKJV
17 He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own Is like one who takes a dog by the ears.
‌

4. Perceive when a situation will become contentious, and prevent contention before it starts
​
Proverbs 17:14 NKJV
14 The beginning of strife is like releasing water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.
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5. Don't allow stubbornness to prevent you from coming to a reasonable compromise
‌
​Proverbs 25:8 NKJV
8 Do not go hastily to court; For what will you do in the end, When your neighbor has put you to shame?
‌
Matthew 5:25–26 NKJV
25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.
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6. Be the bigger person
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Proverbs 15:1 NKJV
1 A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
‌
Proverbs 26:4 NKJV
4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him.
‌
If you imitate the behaviour of a fool, you become a fool.
‌
‌
7. Purify your heart of anything that is not like Christ
‌
James 4:1 NKJV
1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
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Proverbs 13:10 NIV
10 Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
‌
The NET Bible First Edition Notes Notes for Proverbs 13:10 states: "The parallelism suggests pride here means contempt for the opinions of others. The wise listen to advice rather than argue out of stubborn pride".
‌

8. Let Christ’s peace fill your heart
‌
Some people are always creating drama because they don’t have peace within themselves.
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Colossians 3:15 NIV
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
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When Christ’s peace fills your heart, you won’t be a contentious person. You will radiate that peace and live peacefully with others.
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9. Don’t push someone’s buttons
‌
Proverbs 30:33 NKJV
33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, And wringing the nose produces blood, So the forcing of wrath produces strife.
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10. Hear out the other person
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James 1:19 NKJV
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
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Proverbs 18:13 NKJV
13 He who answers a matter before he hears it,
It is folly and shame to him.
‌
Listening is important because we are not supposed to be selfish people. We want other people’s needs to be met, not only ours.
‌
Philippians 2:4 NKJV
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
‌
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11. Watch your mouth, especially when you are angry
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Ephesians 4:29–30 NKJV
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
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Proverbs 22:10 NKJV
10 Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave;
Yes, strife and reproach will cease.
‌‌
To scoff is to “speak to someone or about something in a scornfully derisive or mocking way” (Oxford Languages).  But this proverb says that when the scoffer is cast out, contention will leave.  Let us not be unkind with our mouths, but instead use them to promote peace.
‌
‌
12. Control your temper
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James 1:19–20 NKJV
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
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Ephesians 4:26 NKJV
26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
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Ephesians 4:31 NKJV
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
‌
Proverbs 15:18 NKJV
18 A wrathful man stirs up strife,
But he who is slow to anger allays contention.
‌
Know when you are angry, and wait until you are calm before engaging. If you feel yourself boiling with rage, excuse yourself from the conversation until you have calmed down
‌
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13. Be willing to suffer wrong, for the sake of Christ
‌
Paul rebuked the Corinthians for taking cases to secular courts, instead of handling the matter themselves. He then said:
‌
1 Corinthians 6:7 NKJV
7 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?
‌
‌
14. Be ready to forgive an offence
‌
Colossians 3:13 NKJV
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
‌
Luke 17:3–4 NKJV
3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”
‌
‌
15. Remember, our battle is ultimately spiritual
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Ephesians 6:12 NKJV
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
‌

1‌6. Let love govern how you deal with those you disagree with
‌
1 Corinthians 16:14 NKJV
14 Let all that you do be done with love.
‌

17. Follow Christ's protocol if a member of the church sins against you

Matthew 18:15–17 NKJV
15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

Notice that we are not to hold bitterness in our heart, we are to go and tell the person that they have wronged us:
‌​
Leviticus 19:17–18 NKJV
17 ‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

​
Summary:

• Know when to overlook a matter
• ‌Don’t be an argumentative person
• ‌If you want a peaceful life, mind your own business
• ‌Perceive when a situation will become contentious, and prevent contention before it starts
• ‌Don't allow stubbornness to prevent you from coming to a reasonable compromise
• Be the bigger person
• ‌Purify your heart of anything that is not like Christ
• ‌Let Christ’s peace fill your heart
• ‌Don’t push someone’s buttons
• ‌Hear out the other person
• ‌Watch your mouth, especially when you are angry
• ‌Control your temper
• ‌Be willing to suffer wrong, for the sake of Christ
• ‌Be ready to forgive an offence
• ‌Remember, our battle is ultimately spiritual
• ‌Let love govern how you deal with those you disagree with
• Follow Christ's protocol if a member of the church sins against you

​Ephesians 6:10 NKJV
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
​
How we can be strong, and why we need to be strong are mentioned in the next verse...
​
Ephesians 6:11 NKJV
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
​
We can be strong Christians by putting on the full armor of God.
​
We need God’s amour because of the ‘wiles of the devil’, which refers to the devil’s plans against us.
​
Paul tells us more in verses 12-13...
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Ephesians 6:12 NKJV
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
​
Our real fight is not against other humans. Our real fight is against invisible spiritual forces that are opposed to Christ and His purpose for us. These forces are said to be 'in the heavenly places'. These are not the same heavenly places where Christ is. These are the lower heavenly realms. Ephesians 1:20-21 tells us that Christ is seated in the heavenly places 'far above' the forces of darkness. We must remember that we are not fighting a foe that has equal authority to Jesus - 'He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world' (1 John 4:4 NKJV). But neither should we have a false sense of security. If we don't have on the armor of God, then we are vulnerable to the devil’s attacks.
​
Paul continues...
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Ephesians 6:13 NKJV
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
​
So, wearing God’s armour will enable us to successfully withstand the devil’s attacks.
​
Paul then says, ‘and having done all, to stand’. What does this mean? One view is that it means when we have won the battle, we will still be standing. Another view is that it means when we have put on all the armour, we will be able to take our stand against the enemy. This latter view may be correct, as it seems to fit with how verse 14 begins...
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Ephesians 6:14 NKJV
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
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Paul tells us that we are to stand, but we can only stand against the devil if we have put on the armour of God. So Paul begins to mention the armour that we should put on.
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1. 'having girded your waist with truth’ - We to be truthful people. If you are a liar, you cannot be a strong Christian. Never think that spiritual warfare is only about praying the right prayers. It’s the way you live that will give you the victory over Satan. This is reinforced by the next item of armour...
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2. 'The breastplate of righteousness' - in other words, be a person of integrity. Be someone who does what is right, and stands up for what is right. Obedience to God is what will make you strong - keep every commandment which I comman you today, that you may be strong...' (Deuteronomy 11:8 NKJV).
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3. 'Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace' - our shoes are to be the gospel of peace. A soldier is not ready to go into battle if he doesn’t have his shoes on. His shoes give him a firm footing. Likewise, we are not ready for spiritual warfare unless we are wearing the shoes of the gospel of peace. The gospel of peace is what gives us a firm footing and foundation from which we can wage warfare. You cannot fight Satan victoriously unless you know that you have peace with God. You have to know that God is with you, and that there is no barrier between you and God. If the devil can convince you that there is a barrier between you and God, you won’t have the confidence to fight victoriously. Paul told the Romans, 'having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ' (Romans 5:1 NKJV). We have peace with God. God is not against us. Nor is He at war with us. The reason we have this peace is because have been justified (that is, made right with God), through faith in Jesus. This truth is to be the foundation from which we wage warfare successfully.
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4. 'the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one' - The devil launches fiery arrows against us. These include temptations, doubts, lies and discouragements. Every time we yield to one of the devil’s temptations, it is actually a lack of faith. Yielding means that we don’t believe that God’s way is better than the devil’s. The same is the case with the devil’s doubts, lies and discouragements. Who do we believe? God, or the devil?
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Taking the shield of faith also means that we trust God in difficult times. We hold onto His word and His promises. We maintain our faith in Jesus through it all. And importantly, we trust that whatever God does is right and for the best.
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5. 'The helmet of salvation' - Paul told the Thessalonians to '[put on] as a helmet the hope of salvation' (1 Thessalonians 5:8 NKJV). Notice that here Paul calls the helmet ‘the hope of salvation’. The word ‘hope’ points to the future. The ‘hope of salvation’ refers to the second coming of Jesus Christ, when our salvation will be completed and we will be glorified with Christ. Wearing the helmet of salvation means that we live ready at all times for the coming of Jesus Christ. If Jesus came right now, would you be ready to meet Him? If there are things you would need to put right, that you are not putting right, you are not ready to meet Him and you are not wearing the helmet of salvation.
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6. ‘the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God’ - The word of God is so important. Feasting on the word makes us spiritually strong. Paul referred to Timothy being ‘nourished in the words of faith’ (1 Timothy 4:6 NKJV). ‘Nourishment’ is defined as ‘the food necessary for growth, health, and good condition’. God’s word is what causes us to grow and to be strong in the faith. Make sure that you are being nourished by God by spending time in the word. If you find reading it difficult, make use of the various audio Bibles that are available. Do you want to hear God’s voice? Simply open your Bible and start reading/listening to it! Through prayer, we speak to God. But through the Bible, God speaks to us.
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But prayer itself is also vitally important. After listing these pieces of armor, Paul continues...
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Ephesians 6:18–20 NKJV
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
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Paul says that we are to be praying Spirit-empowered prayers for our Christian brothers and sisters. Both those we know, and those we don’t - 'for all the saints'.
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Paul also asked his readers to be praying for him. He reminds them that he is ‘an ambassador in chains’. In other words, he was an ambassador of Christ who was also currently a prisoner because of his message. As a prisoner he may have been tempted to bow to the fear of what the political powers may do to him. But instead, he asked his readers to pray that he would preach the gospel boldly. Despite the amazing things that God did through Paul, he remained human and knew that like anyone else, he was capable of failing. Christianity is not about pretending to be more spiritual than we actually are. If Paul could ask for prayer, then we certainly should follow his example.​
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Notice that in Paul’s instructions about spiritual warfare, there isn’t any mention of calling the devil a whole host of bad names. Jude wrote, 'Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”'(Jude 8–9 NKJV). Also, notice that in our passage, there is no mention of binding the devil! Having spent some years in Pentecostal/charismatic contexts, I’ve done my fair share of binding and loosing. But then I realized that this practice is not found in the New Testament. When Jesus gave His disciples the authority to bind and loose (Matthew 16:19; Matthew 18:18), it had nothing to do with spiritual warfare. In first-century Judaism, binding and loosing were rabbinical terms that referred to prohibiting or permitting certain activities. As the apostles were sent forth by Jesus to be the leaders of the Church, He invested them with the power to bind and loose i.e. to make authoritative decisions regarding the rule of the Church. The one time that Jesus used the word ‘bind’ in relation to spiritual warfare was when the Pharisees accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Satan. Jesus told them that a house divided against itself cannot stand, and that if Satan is helping Him to cast our demons, Satan is doomed as he is fighting himself. Jesus then told them that if you want to rob a strong man’s house, you have to first tie up (i.e. bind) the strong man, so that he cannot stop you from taking his goods (Mark 3:27). Jesus’ point was that it wasn’t Satan’s power that enabled Him to cast our demons. Instead, the reason He could cast out demons is because He was Satan’s enemy and had conquered him. He had rendered Satan unable to stop Him from destroying his kingdom. The point I want us to note here is that Jesus has already bound and overcome Satan. The following verses bear witness to this:
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John 12:31 NKJV
31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
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Luke 10:18 NKJV
18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
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Hebrews 2:14 NKJV
14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
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​Brothers and sisters, let us remember that in this spiritual journey, we are fighting a foe who is already defeated. He has no answer for the armor of God that we are to put on. So let us make sure that we are always wearing it, because that is how we will win!

This brings us to the end of Ephesians, which Paul concludes with a blessing of grace.

Ephesians 6:21-24 NKJV
​21 But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you; 22 whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may comfort your hearts. 23 Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
Summary
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• We can be strong Christians by putting on the full armour of God
• We need God’s armour because of the devil’s plans against us
• Without God's armour we are vulnerable to the devil's attacks
• Wearing God’s armour will enable us to successfully withstand the devil’s attacks
• ​Our spiritual armour includes:
  • Being truthful
  • Doing what is right
  • Knowing that we have peace with God
  • Trusting God in difficult times
  • Living ready for Christ's return
  • Spending time in the word of God
• ​We must also be people of prayer
• Christianity is not about pretending to be more spiritual than we actually are - it's OK to ask for prayer!
• Jesus has already defeated the devil
• We are fighting a foe that is already defeated

In this passage, Paul addresses the Roman household code. In a Roman household, the father was the one in charge. He had legal power over his wife, his children, and his servants - who lived in his house. The wife, children and servants were all expected to be subject to the father. As such, Paul’s readers would not have found Paul's instructions to the wives, children and servants shocking, even if they surprise the modern reader.
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What would have been shocking was Paul’s instructions to the fathers. The Roman household code didn’t require the father to love his wife, or to be gentle with his children. Furthermore, servants receiving a beating from their masters was not uncommon. But Paul instructs the husbands to love their wives, to not provoke their children, and to not threaten their servants. In so doing, Paul elevated the well-being of the wives, the children and the servants.
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I will also mention from now, that when this passage speaks of submission, it is not referring to doing something that is morally wrong, or that is contrary to God’s word. As Peter and the apostles said in Acts 5:29: ‘we ought to obey God rather than men’.
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So, let’s go through this passage verse by verse...
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Ephesians 5:22–24 NKJV
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
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The wife is to submit to the husband in recognition that he is the one that Christ has made head in the marriage relationship. However, with the husband’s headship comes the responsibility to represent Christ to the wife. So Paul continues...
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Ephesians 5:25 NKJV
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
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Headship doesn’t mean tyranny. Instead, headship as God intended is loving and self-sacrificial, and modeled by Jesus Himself. The word ‘love’ even by itself is powerful. Paul described love as follows: 'Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things' (1 Corinthians 13:4–7 ESV). In those verse, Paul is talking about the love that all of us are to have for one another. But it is the same Greek word for 'love' (agape) that is used in his instruction to husbands.

Living in this kind of way is a tall order for anyone. And if we are honest, so is Paul’s instruction to wives. The truth is that neither husband or wife, will fulfill their role perfectly. At times we will all fail. And so an essential ingredient is forgiveness.
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Paul has mentioned that Jesus 'loved the church and gave Himself for her'. Paul now briefly leaves the marital relationship and tells us why Christ gave Himself for the church...
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Ephesians 5:26–27 NKJV
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
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Why do you read the word of God? Why do you listen to the word of God being taught? According to these verses, one purpose of God’s word is to wash, cleanse and sanctify you (that means to make you holy).

Do you realise, that you are supposed to be getting yourself ready for a wedding? Jesus is taking care of all the arrangements, and the wedding will take place when He returns. But your job is get yourself ready and to show up. So how do you get yourself ready? By allowing the word of God to cleanse you, so that you are without blemish. That way, you will look your best for the wedding.

Paul continues...
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Ephesians 5:28–32 NKJV
28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
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Paul instructs husbands to love their wives as their own bodies. After all, husband and wife have become ‘one flesh’. Jesus is again the basis for this. We are the body of Christ, and Christ loves us. In other words, we could say that Christ loves us as His own body. Furthermore, marriage is actually supposed to be a picture of the relationship between Christ and His Church. And so Paul concludes his comments on marriage with the following...
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Ephesians 5:33 NKJV
33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
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Paul now moves on to talk about children and parents...
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Ephesians 6:1–3 NKJV
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”
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Children are to obey their parents. The phrase ‘in the Lord’ indicates that such obedience is part of their Christian duty. Notice that to support this, Paul quotes from the law of Moses. Paul elsewhere taught that we are not under the law. So why does he quote from it? When Paul says that we are not under the law, he means that we are not to see the law as the means by which we can be made right with God. That can only be achieved by faith in Jesus. However, as demonstrated here, he still used the law as a source of moral guidance. The specific law he quoted here - ‘honor your father and mother’ - is the first commandment in the law of Moses that had a promise attached to it - ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth’. This does not mean that life will be plain sailing. But it does mean that there is a special blessing for those who honor their parents.
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Paul continues...
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Ephesians 6:4 NKJV
4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
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Not only do fathers have a responsibility to represent Christ to their wives, they also have the responsibility of representing Christ to their children. We can never think that children don’t matter to God - they do! Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven' (Matthew 19:14 NKJV).
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Paul continued...
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Ephesians 6:5–7 NKJV
5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,
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Here Paul addresses the servants who were also part of their master’s household (this was quite normal in that time). Whilst we are not in that situation today, these principles do help us to understand how we are to function in the workplace.
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Paul says we are to be sincere - we are not to only work hard when we are being watched (‘not with eye-service, as men-pleasers’). Instead we are to do our duties in the fear of God (‘fear and trembling’), knowing that God is watching us, and that in reality, Jesus is our true boss and we are there as His servants.
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Notice that he said ‘doing the will of God from the heart’. Never think that at work you are not doing God’s work. Paul told these bondservants that by doing their jobs wholeheartedly, they would be doing the will of God.
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Paul continues...
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Ephesians 6:8 NKJV
8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
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There is no good deed that you do, in any context, that will go unrewarded by God. Sometimes people may not always recognise what we do. That’s fine. God does. And He will reward you for every good thing you have done.
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In our final verse, Paul said...
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Ephesians 6:9 NKJV
9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
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It was quite something for Paul to tell the masters, 'do the same things to them’. In the first century Roman world bondservants were not regarded highly.
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After describing how bondservants were to faithfully serve, Paul says to the masters ‘do the same things to them’. In other words, even as you expect them to do you good, you do good to them. In the first century Roman world bondservants were not regarded highly. As such, this was a shocking thing for Paul to says. Even though bondservants may have an inferior status in the world’s eyes, they are equal to their masters in God’s eyes.
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Paul also says, ‘giving up threatening’. Often we may hold on to things that give us power and leverage. But Paul says to these masters, ‘give up threatening’. In those days a master could be very cruel to his servant, and beat his servant and do other horrible things. But Paul says give that up. He says, you have a Master in heaven, and He is not going to show you favour if you mistreat those entrusted to your care.

Summary
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• The wife is to submit to the husband in recognition that he is the one that Christ has made head in the marriage relationship.
• Headship doesn’t mean tyranny. Instead, headship as God intended is loving and self sacrificial, and modeled by Jesus Himself.
• As no one is perfect, forgiveness is essential.
• We must allow God's word to wash, cleanse and sanctify us.
• Marriage is supposed to be a picture of the relationship between Christ and His Church.
• Whilst we are not under the law as a means of obtaining righteousness, the law remains useful as a source of moral guidance.
• Children are to obey their parents, a command to which a special blessing is attached.
• Fathers also have a responsibility to represent Christ to their children.
• We are to be good employees, knowing that we are serving Christ when we do this.
• God will reward us for every good thing that we do.
• God will not show us favour if we mistreat those entrusted to our care.

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Ephesians 5:1 NKJV
1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
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Who is your role model in life? Who do you seek to be like? For the Christian, God is our role model. This doesn’t mean there are no others that provide a good example for us. But God alone is our perfect example. So, in what sense are we to imitate God?
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In the previous verse, Paul had said:
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Ephesians 4:32–5:1 NKJV
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. 1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
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So one way we are to imitate God, is in forgiveness. We keep on messing up, but God keeps on forgiving us! We are to extend that same mercy to other people.

After telling us to imitate God, Paul continues...
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Ephesians 5:2 NKJV
2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
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Not only are we to show mercy, we are to walk in love. The example of love we are given is Jesus Christ giving Himself for us on the cross, to pay the penalty for our sins, so that we could receive God’s pardon. This indicates that we are to love others when it is not comfortable, when it is not convenient, and when it requires us to do something we don’t want to. Love is sacrificial.
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Paul continues...
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Ephesians 5:3–4 NKJV
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
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Notice the phrase 'as is fitting for saints'. God has made us all saints because of our faith in His Son Jesus Christ. But we are not only called saints, we are to live like saints. Consequently, there are certain things that shouldn’t even be mentioned among us. Such things include...
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Fornication - which is sex outside of marriage
All uncleanness - which anything that is morally filthy
Covetousness - which is greed
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Paul then moves on to mention three other vices, all of which have to do with the way we speak...
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Filthiness - obscenity (speech that is sexually inappropriate)
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Foolish talking - there are some people that are not serious about life, and they don’t care that they are not serious about life. They just talk whatever nonsense comes into their mind; we are not to be like that, our words should be sober and morally upright
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Coarse jesting - inappropriate, rude, or vulgar jokes
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Instead, Paul says we are to use our mouths to give God thanks, a point that Paul will repeat later.

Paul continues...
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Ephesians 5:5–7 NKJV
5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.
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Whether we are Christian or not, if we behave in that way, we will not enter the kingdom of God. Paul said, 'Let no one deceive you with empty words'. We shouldn’t embrace any teaching that says that because we believe we can’t end up in hell. The wrath of God comes on all who behave in that way.
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Notice also that covetousness (greed) is called idolatry. If material things are our priority we are in effect worshipping them. But only God should be worshipped.

Paul continues...
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Ephesians 5:8–10 NKJV
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
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God has called us out of moral darkness into His light. We can walk in the light by living according to the Holy Spirit. When we do so, our life will be characterized by goodness, righteousness and truth.
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Notice that Paul says we are to 'find out what is acceptable to the Lord'. In other words we are to find out how God wants us to live. But how do we do that? The psalmist said, 'Your word is a lamp to my feet' (Psalm 119:105). We discover how God wants us to live by reading His word - the Bible. We don’t do it by following our feelings, or even by following our heart. Jeremiah 17:9 says 'The heart is deceitful above all things'. It is God's word that is to be a lamp for our feet, not our hearts.

Paul continues...
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Ephesians 5:11–14 NKJV
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”
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We are to have nothing to do with the evil works of darkness i.e. sin. Instead, our godly example is to shine like a light, in a dark world, thereby exposing sin to be what it is. Where it says ‘whatever makes manifest is light’, the Greek word for ‘makes manifest’ is in what is called the passive voice. As such, this phrase is better translated ‘whatever is made manifest is light’. In other words, Paul is describing the transformation of darkness into light. As our light shines, we can influence the way people live, so that they also become children of light as they respond to Christ, who is the source of this light.

Paul continues...
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Ephesians 5:15–17 NKJV
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
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In view of the responsibility we have to shine Christ’s light to others, Paul says that we are to walk carefully and with wisdom. We need to walk carefully, because people are watching, and we have an enemy the devil who wants trip us up. We walk wisely by 'redeeming the time'. This means that we make the most of every opportunity to shine the light of Jesus. In other words, let Jesus be seen in you at all times. After all, 'the days are evil' and people need the light that Jesus brings.
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But in order to shine His light, we cannot lean to our own understanding. Instead, we need to  'understand what the will of the Lord is'.  As we have seen, we do that by looking to the word of God.

Paul continues...
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Ephesians 5:18–19 NKJV
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
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Should a Christian drink alcohol? The Bible doesn’t ban alcohol altogether, but it does prohibit drunkenness. Remember, we are to be sober people. But the result of drunkenness is ‘dissipation’ - a word that means overindulgence in sensual pleasures. Instead, we are to 'be filled with the Spirit'.  The Greek word for ‘filled’ is in the present tense, which means that Paul is not describing a one-off experience. He is basically saying, 'be constantly full of the Spirit'. This means that we should always allow the Holy Spirit to have control of our lives. When the Spirit has control of our lives, the fruit of the Spirit will characterize our behavior (see Galatians 5:22-23).  We are also to be ‘speaking to one another [NLT reads ‘singing… among yourselves’] in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord’.  Paul continues...
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Ephesians 5:20–21 NKJV
20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.
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We are to be people who give God thanks 'for all things'. Do you have something? When was the last time you gave God thanks for it?
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Then Paul says, 'submitting to one another in the fear of God'. There is no place for haughtiness in a child of God.
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Paul will go on to give specific examples of how we can submit to one another in the verses that follow, but we will look at that in part 7 of this series.
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Summary
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• God is our role model. We are to follow His example of forgiveness.
• We are to love when it is not comfortable, not convenient, and when it requires us to do something we don’t want to.
• Love is sacrificial - Jesus is our example.
• We are not only called saints, we are to live like saints. Our conduct and speech are to be holy.
• Whether Christian or not, if we live in sin, we will not enter God's kingdom.
• We discover how God wants us to live through the Bible.
• You cannot trust your heart - trust God's word instead!
• As our light shines, we can influence the way people live, so that they also become children of light as they respond to Christ, who is the source of this light.
• We should make the most of every opportunity to shine the light of Jesus.
• We are to be filled with the Holy Spirit again and again and again.
• We do this by yielding to the flow of the Spirit within us.
• Praise characterises the life of a Spirit-filled child of God.
• We are to give God thanks for all things.
• Haughtiness is to have no place in our lives.

Ephesians 4:1 NKJV
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
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Paul, who was in prison in Rome, exhorts the Ephesians to walk worthy of God’s call. All of us have been called by God. We have been summoned by the King into His kingdom, into His family, and into His service. However, an ambassador of a nation can’t conduct himself any way he likes. He is representing the country that has sent him. Even so, we are to walk worthy of God’s calling. We are His representatives. So how do we walk worthy? Paul tells us in the next two verses:
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Ephesians 4:2–3 NKJV
2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
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These two verses contain a fivefold description of how we should behave:
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1. Lowliness - humility
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2. Gentleness - we are not to be harsh with people
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3. Longsuffering - we are to be patient with people
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4. Bearing with one another in love - lovingly tolerate and put up with one another
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5. Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace - the Spirit produces unity in the Church. We have a responsibility to try our best to keep and to guard that unity. We do it by being at peace with one another; and that peace binds us together.
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Paul tells us more about this unity in the next three verses:
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Ephesians 4:4–6 NKJV
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
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In these two verses, Paul gave a sevenfold description of Christian unity:

1. One body - the Church, the body of Christ
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2. One Spirit - the Holy Spirit
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3. One hope - the second coming of Jesus Christ
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4. One Lord - the Lord Jesus, the Son of God
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5. One faith - Christianity is not each person having their own set of beliefs about God. The faith we are to follow is written for us in the New Testament, which is the final authority on matters of faith and conduct.
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6. One baptism - we all receive the same water baptism, and it is baptism into Jesus Christ. Through baptism we we pledge allegiance to Him.
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7. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all - we worship the same God, who is our Father. He is above all of us, He works through all of us, and He is in all of us.
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Having spoken about our unity, Paul goes on to say something very important...
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Ephesians 4:7 NKJV
7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
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Notice the word ‘but’. Paul has just told us about our oneness. But oneness doesn’t mean sameness. Despite our unity, Jesus has given us different gifts. But we are all working towards the same purpose. Paul continues...
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Ephesians 4:8 NKJV
8 Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.”
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Paul quotes from Psalm 68:18, which he interprets as referring to Christ’s ascension to heaven. When it says ‘He led captivity captive’ it means that Jesus returned to heaven victoriously. When the Romans won a battle, the general would lead his captives in a triumphal procession through the streets of his city so that everyone could see the evidence of his complete victory. Therefore, this verse is saying that Jesus returned to heaven as the victor having defeated the devil through His death on the cross.
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Paul’s quotation also says that ‘He [Christ] gave gifts to men’. He will tell us what some of those gifts are in a moment.
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But first He tells us something more about Jesus...
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Ephesians 4:9–10 NKJV
9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
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Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He first descended to what Paul calls ‘the lower parts of the earth’. I understand this to refer to the fact that when Jesus died, He descended into Hades, which is the realm of the dead. But God raised Him up from the dead, and seated Him at the highest place, giving Him the place of supreme authority. In that capacity, Paul says that Jesus fills all things. In other words, Jesus is present everywhere in the universe, and He is present as Lord.
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Paul continues...
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Ephesians 4:11–12 NKJV
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
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Paul now comes back to the point that Christ gave gifts to men, He mentions some of the gifts that Christ has given. The first two he mentions - apostles and prophets - are no longer physically in the Church today. As we saw in Ephesians 2:20, the offices of apostles and prophets were foundational roles, that belong to the beginning period of the Church. Paul said that the church has "been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets" (Ephesians 2:20). The Apostles and prophets are the foundation upon which the Church has been built. The foundation is the first thing to be laid at the beginning of a building’s construction, and it is only laid once. As such, the offices of apostles and prophets, as Paul uses the terms in Ephesians, belong to the beginning of the Church’s history and are not occupied by any person today. The gift of prophecy is still in the Church, but the lofty offices that Paul is speaking of here are not. The function of these apostles and prophets was to be the stewards of revelation about the new thing that God was doing in the earth through the gospel:
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Ephesians 3:4–5 NKJV
4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:
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Thankfully, we have their revelation preserved for us in the New Testament, and so in that sense, through the New Testament Scriptures, they still minister to us today.
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Back to our passage:
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Ephesians 4:11–12 NKJV
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
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The other gifts Paul mentions here are evangelists, pastors and teachers. Now it must be noted that these ministers are not self-appointed persons. They are mature believers who are recognised by the Church as being called to these ministries. Evangelists are those gifted to preach the gospel. The phrase "some pastors and teachers" likely refers to the same office i.e. a pastor-teacher. This is because in the original Greek, only "pastors" has a definite article before it.  The pastor-teacher is someone who oversees a local church and teaches God's word to it.
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Verse 12 tells us that they are to equip the saints to serve God, and they are to edify, i.e. build-up, the body of Christ.
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But where is all of this heading? What is God trying to achieve? That is answered in the next verse:
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Ephesians 4:13 NKJV
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
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In other words, God wants us all to be like Jesus. I understand the first word of this verse - ‘till’ - to modify the word ‘edifying’ in the previous verse. He is saying that these ministries are to edify the Church until we come to the unity of the faith and grow to be like Jesus. As already noted, whilst the apostles and prophets are no longer present in the Church, they continue to minister to us through their writings preserved for us in the New Testament.
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Paul continues...
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Ephesians 4:14 NKJV
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
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God wants us to no longer be children. In other words, we are to be mature sons and daughters. We are not to be ‘tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine’. In other words, we shouldn’t be getting caught up on whatever the latest trend is in the Church, or whatever the latest supposed ‘revelation’ is that someone claims to have received. Instead, we are to be established in the Word of God.
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Paul then speaks of ‘the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting’. In other words, we shouldn’t naive or gullible. You will remember when I showed those videos of fake miracles and false prophecies and supposed revelations from God that didn’t come true. We must be people who don’t fall for that kind of thing. We should ask God for discernment.
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Ephesians 4:15 NKJV
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
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In contrast to the deceitful scheming of false teachers, we are to speak the truth to one another, and we are to do it in love. Furthermore, we see again that we are to grow to be like Jesus, who is the head of the body.
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Ephesians 4:16 NKJV
16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
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That’s quite a mouthful, so let me read that to you in the NIV:
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Ephesians 4:16 NIV
16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
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Jesus is the one who causes His body, the Church, to grow and to build itself up in love. In other words, Jesus causes the Church to come into maturity, to come to a place where it is getting stronger as the members walk in love.
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But notice that the Church only becomes a mature Church, ‘as each part does its work’.
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Summary
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• We are to walk worthy of God's calling by being humble, gentle, patient with others, forbearing and by endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit by being at peace with one another. We are God’s representatives.
• We are united by being part of one body, and by having one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God.
• Oneness doesn’t mean sameness. Despite our unity, Jesus has given us different gifts. But we are all working towards the same goal.
• God wants us all to be like Jesus.
• We shouldn’t get caught up in whatever the latest trend is in the Church, or whatever the latest supposed ‘revelation’ is that someone claims to have received. Instead, we are to be established in the Word of God.
• We are not to be naive or gullible, but are to be people who speak the truth in love.
• The Church only becomes a mature Church, ‘as each part does its work’.

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Ephesians 3:1 NKJV
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles--
 
​'For this reason' - Paul had just told the Ephesian believers, that they, along with the Jewish believers are God’s dwelling place and fellow citizens of Israel.
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Paul says, ‘For this reason’ i.e. because of the grace God has shown you, ‘For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles. Paul was in a Roman prison when he wrote this. He was imprisoned because of his preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. So he called himself the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles. Paul is about to say ‘For this reason I pray for you’ but he doesn’t get around to saying it until verse 14. Instead, he now goes on a little detour and tells them about his ministry...
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Ephesians 3:2–5 NKJV
2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:
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Paul says that by God’s grace, he is the steward of a mystery that was not fully revealed to previous generations.  He will remind us what this mystery is in a moment. But Paul is not the only steward of this mystery. He says ‘it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets’. A lot of preachers call themselves ‘apostle’ or ‘prophet’ today. But here, Paul is not talking about such people. 
As we saw in Ephesians 2:20 the apostles and prophets were foundational ministries that belonged to the beginning of the Church’s history:
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Ephesians 2:20 NKJV
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
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The foundation is the first thing to be laid at the beginning of a building’s construction, and it is only laid once.  As such, the offices of apostle and prophet, as Paul uses the terms here, belong to the beginning of the Church’s history and are not occupied by any minister today. There is an ongoing more junior prophetic function in the Church, but such is not to be confused with the status of the apostles and the prophets that Paul here refers to.
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 Paul says that these true, historical apostles and prophets were the stewards of the mystery that was not fully revealed to previous generations.
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So what is this mystery? Paul continues...
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Ephesians 3:6–7 NKJV
6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.
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The mystery is that the heavenly inheritance that God promised is not only for Jewish believers. Through the gospel, it is for Gentile believers too. In Christ, they have become one body with the believing Jews. Paul continues...
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Ephesians 3:7–9 NKJV
7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. 8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;
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Paul says that by God’s grace and power, he became a minister of this gospel. He also says that this mystery that he preaches has been hidden in God since the beginning of time. He then continues...
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Ephesians 3:10–11 NKJV
10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,
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So, this mystery, this wise plan of God which has been hidden since the beginning of time... God didn’t even share it with the angels. (The phrase - ‘the principalities and powers in the heavenly places’ here is a reference to the angels). Instead, God’s wise plan to include Gentiles and Jews in the same body is made known to the angels through the Church. In other words, through the Church, the angels see God’s wise plan in action. After mentioning that this eternal purpose has been accomplished in Christ, Paul continues...
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Ephesians 3:12 NKJV
12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.
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Through faith in Christ, we have access to God.  Not only that - we can access God with boldness and confidence. Always remember that God actually wants you. He wouldn't have sent Jesus to die for your salvation if He didn’t! So whilst we are to come to God with humility and reverence, there is also a boldness that we come with because we know that God loves us and that the death of Jesus has taken away our sins. Paul continues...
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Ephesians 3:13 NKJV
13 Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
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Paul doesn’t want them to be disheartened that he is imprisoned, or because of the difficulties he has to go through for the sake of the gospel. Paul was willing to endure these things so that he could get the message to the Gentiles. And those who have believed will share in the glory that will be revealed when Jesus comes. Paul continues...
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Ephesians 3:14–15 NKJV
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
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God is the Father of Jesus Christ and also of ‘whole family in heaven and earth’. There are different views as to what the family in heaven and earth refers to.  Some view the family in heaven as referring to believers who have died and are now in heaven, and the family on earth as referring to believers on earth. Another view is that the family in heaven refers to angels, and the family on earth refers to believers. Another view is that Paul is simply saying that God is the creator of all creatures in heaven and on earth. Whatever the case me be, God is our Father. And Paul says that he bows his knees before the Father in prayer in prayer for his readers,  In the next verse he begins to tells them what his prayer is...
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Ephesians 3:16 NKJV
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
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God wants us to be strengthened with might, according to the riches of His glory, through the Holy Spirit in our inner being. There is more to you then what you see in the mirror. You have an inner being. God wants to make your inner being strong and powerful. The power He is ready to strengthen you with is unlimited, it is ‘according to the riches of His glory’. With that in mind, how strong a Christian is it possible for you to become? Paul continues...
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Ephesians 3:17 NKJV
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
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God wants us to have Christ’s presence in our hearts through faith. The Bible calls faith ‘the evidence of things not seen’. Even though we cannot see Jesus, God wants us to know that He is with us, in our hearts. Furthermore, God wants us to be rooted and grounded in love. In other words, we are to be established in the fact that Jesus loves us. You can’t grow much as a Christian unless you know Jesus’ love for you.  In addition to physical agony He endured on the cross, He also suffered spiritual agony. He cried out ‘My God My God Why have you forsaken Me’. Because our sin was put on Him, God His Father forsook Him. Jesus had eternal fellowship with His Father before He became a Man. But on the cross, for the first time, He no longer had the Father with Him. But Jesus was forsaken by God, so that you and I could be brought back to God. Paul continues sharing his prayer for his readers, asking that they...
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Ephesians 3:18–19 NKJV
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
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God wants us to understand how vast Christ’s love for us is. He wants us to know Christ’s love us for us, even though it cannot be fully known - He says it ‘passes knowledge’. And then, God wants us to be filled with all the fullness of God. How can we be filled with all of God’s fullness? The fullness of God is found in Jesus:
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Colossians 2:9 NKJV
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
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God lives in all of His fullness in Jesus, and Jesus lives in us! That’s how we can be filled with all of God’s fullness.
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Now, that’s quite a prayer that Paul prayed for his readers. But Paul knew that his prayer was not perfect. He knew that God could do much more than anything he could think to pray. And so he said..
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Ephesians 3:20–21 NKJV
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
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It is impossible for us to imagine how powerful God truly is. He is able to do, not just a little bit more than we ask or think. No. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. That’s an amazing thought. But it’s not the only thought that Paul presents here. He tells us that this amazing power that God has, is a power that is working in us. Now, that is something that is both sobering and exciting. It is sobering because God Himself is working in our lives. In Philippians, Paul puts it like this:
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Philippians 2:12–13 NKJV
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
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God is working in us to change our desires and our actions - ‘to will and to do for His good pleasure’. Our response to this should be ‘fear and trembling’. We should have a healthy fear of God that causes us to quickly obey and cooperate with whatever God is doing in us.
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So, the power at work in us is a sobering reality; but it is also an exciting one because it means that no matter what obstacles we may face, no matter the battles we may have to fight, no matter the Goliaths that stand in our way...there is a greater power at work within us that will strengthen us, that will sustain us, and that will cause God’s purpose for our lives to be fulfilled. As Paul said:
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Philippians 4:13 NKJV
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
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​Romans 8:31 NKJV
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
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Romans 8:35–39 NKJV
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Brothers and sisters, let us remember today that God is able to do much more than all we can ask or think. Let us also remember that this immeasurable power is at work within us.
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Summary
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• In Ephesians, the term 'apostles and prophets' refers to foundational ministries that belonged to the beginning of the Church’s history
• The previously hidden mystery that these apostles and prophets were stewards of was that through the gospel, Gentiles and Jewish believers are fellow heirs of God’s promise
• Even the angels were not privy to this mystery. Through the Church, the angels are are seeing God's wise plan in action
• Whilst we are to come to God with humility and reverence, there is also a boldness that we come with because we know that God loves us, and that the death of Jesus has taken away our sins
• God wants us: to be strengthened by the Spirit in our inner being; to have Christ’s presence in our hearts; to be rooted and grounded in love; to understand how vast Christ’s love for us is; to know Christ’s love for us; and to be filled with all His fullness.
• God is able to do far more than we could ever ask or imagine!
• This power is already at work in us!
• We are more than conquerors through Jesus who loved us!