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Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS023037S
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00:00 (uplifting theme music)
00:13 (music ends) 00:17 >>Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:18 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:20 We're glad that you have chosen to join us this week 00:23 as we take a look at the author's perspective 00:26 of this quarter's Sabbath school lesson. 00:28 And this week we are looking at lesson number 12, 00:32 and it is called "The Call to Stand," 00:35 a very interesting passage 00:36 that we're going to be looking at this week. 00:38 Let's begin with prayer. 00:40 Father, we thank You for being with us today 00:43 as we once again open Your Word and seek a message from You. 00:48 As Paul has been so encouraging and inspiring to us 00:51 this quarter, we ask that he would continue 00:54 to do the very same to us today. 00:57 We ask that Your Spirit would touch our hearts and our minds 01:00 as we seek to understand Your will for our lives. 01:03 We thank you, in Jesus' name, amen. 01:07 Well, we're grateful to have with us, once again, this week 01:09 the author of this quarter's Sabbath school lesson, 01:12 Dr. John McVay. 01:13 He's the president of Walla Walla University. 01:16 John, welcome back again. 01:18 >>It's good to be back. 01:19 >>So we're at week number 12 now, 01:21 and we're looking at a call to stand. 01:25 Paul has meddled with us 01:26 a little bit. >>Mm-hmm. 01:28 >>He's given us some inspiration. He's challenged us. 01:31 And now it sounds like there's a real challenge 01:33 as we get toward the very end of this book. 01:36 We're in chapter 6 now-- >>Yes. 01:39 >>...and there's no chapter 7. 01:41 So we're getting down to the meat of things, 01:44 and here in chapter 6 in verses 10-13, 01:49 there is indeed a call to stand. 01:52 And he starts in verse number 10 with, 01:54 "Finally, my brethren"-- 01:57 so, he's built up to this. >>Yes. 02:00 >>And now he says, "Finally, my brethren, 02:03 be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might." 02:06 And then he starts talking about putting on 02:08 "the whole armor of God." 02:10 How would we kind of break down this passage 02:15 that we're looking at-- 02:16 >>Sure. >>...into sections? 02:17 >>Well, we have two weeks of lessons 02:21 on this magnificent passage: 02:24 Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 10-20. 02:28 It would be easy, Eric, to think that 02:31 this is kind of a decorative flourish 02:33 at the end of the letter. It uses strong language, 02:38 a military metaphor to describe Christian discipleship 02:43 as we look forward to the return of Jesus. 02:45 It's striking in its thoroughness 02:48 with which Paul works out this metaphor. 02:51 The church is the militia of Christ, 02:56 equipped with God's power, equipped with God's weaponry 03:00 to go forth on the fields of battle. 03:03 And it's striking, isn't it? 03:06 There's good reason why it's very popular. 03:08 People frequently turn to it and ponder this passage. 03:12 But I would argue that it's not just a decorative flourish 03:16 at the end. Paul is doing something very important here; 03:20 he's gathering up a lot of themes 03:23 that he has already addressed in the letter, 03:26 and he's including those themes in his conclusion. 03:30 And he is not talking about a lone soldier suiting up 03:35 to do battle, but he's talking about the church 03:38 under the figure of the army of God, the militia of Christ 03:43 going forth to wage peace in the world. 03:46 It is then an appropriate conclusion 03:50 to the epistle to the Ephesians. 03:54 He chooses a specific genre 03:57 in which to write this conclusion to the letter. 04:00 And it is the genre of an eve-of-battle speech. 04:04 Now, in ancient battle literature, 04:06 we have many examples of eve-of-battle speeches. 04:13 It was understood to be a commonplace 04:14 that on the eve of battle, 04:16 the general would step onto the battlefield 04:19 and would exhort the troops and say, 04:22 "Stand up for your country; be strong; 04:25 the gods are with you" 04:26 and all this kind of battle language. 04:30 And so Paul is giving an eve-of-battle speech. 04:34 He's using a particular genre to communicate his conclusion 04:39 to the epistle of the Ephesians. 04:41 >>So we've got an eve-of-battle speech, 04:43 and he kinda breaks this down into a few different sections. 04:47 >>He does. >>What do those look like? 04:49 >>So, he gives this first call to arms 04:53 in verses 10-12. Now, in this week's lesson, 04:56 we're particularly studying verses 10-13 04:59 because in verse 13, he reissues this battle cry. 05:03 But the call to arms is verses 10-12. 05:07 It's pretty general, but it has wonderful themes 05:10 about depending upon the power and the panoply of God, 05:15 the head-to-toe armor that God provides. 05:19 And then in verses 13-17, 05:21 he reissues the call to arms, but he does so now 05:25 in a more detailed way; he imagines believers as soldiers 05:31 putting on the armor of God. 05:34 And he gives us examples of various kinds of implements-- 05:39 the belt of truth, the helmet of salvation or victory, 05:43 and so on--and those are donned 05:47 by the Christian warriors, the church; 05:50 it's donned by the church 05:52 in sort of the same order you would expect 05:54 that a Roman legionnaire might put on the armor. 05:58 And then you come to the call to prayer. 06:01 So the call to arms, verses 10-12; 06:04 the call to arms reissued, verses 13-17; 06:08 and then the call to prayer, verses 18-20, 06:11 where Paul asks the believers to pray 06:16 and where Paul asks them to pray for him. 06:19 And that probably--as we'll study a bit more next week, 06:23 that's probably not a separate weapon, 06:26 but it probably is part of the whole battlefield setting 06:31 because Roman soldiers frequently prayed to the gods, 06:35 you understand. 06:36 >>Sure, they would pray to multiple gods. 06:39 >>Correct. >>We, of course, 06:41 are recognizing that there's one God. When Paul does this, 06:43 when he paints this picture of the soldier, is this-- 06:48 you mentioned that in history this was something 06:50 that was commonly done. >>Yes, yes. 06:52 >>What about in Old Testament times? 06:54 Do we see any similarities there that might lead Paul 06:58 to paint this word picture for us? 07:01 >>You know, he borrows much of his theology, 07:04 and even the language of this battle speech seems to echo 07:08 with the Old Testament battle speeches. 07:10 And there are quite a lot of these. 07:12 One of my favorites is Deuteronomy 20, verses 2-4. 07:16 Let's have a look at that one 07:18 because I think it nicely illustrates the genre 07:22 of battle speech as it occurs in the Old Testament. 07:26 So, Moses here is giving instructions, 07:30 laws about warfare. 07:31 Here's how you're to behave in war, okay? 07:35 So he talks about, in verses 2-4, 07:40 battle speeches that are to be given. 07:43 "And when you draw near to the battle"-- 07:45 so, eve-of-battle speech, if you will-- 07:47 "the priest shall come forward and speak to the people 07:51 "and shall say to them, 'Hear, O Israel, 07:54 "'today you are drawing near for battle 07:56 "'against your enemies: let not your heart faint. 08:00 "'Do not fear or panic or be in dread of them, 08:04 "'for the Lord your God is He who goes with you 08:07 "'to fight for you against your enemies, 08:09 to give you the victory.'" 08:11 You get the flavor of that? 08:14 So then when you turn and you read Ephesians, 08:17 chapter 6, verses 10-13-- 08:20 "Finally, be strong in the Lord 08:23 "and in the strength of His might. 08:25 "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able 08:28 "to stand against the schemes of the devil. 08:31 "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, 08:33 "but against the rulers, against the authorities, 08:35 "against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, 08:38 "against the spiritual forces of evil 08:41 "in the heavenly places. 08:42 "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, 08:45 "that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, 08:48 and having done all, to stand firm." 08:51 So, there it is, the battle call 08:54 echoing these deep spiritual concepts 08:58 from the war cries and the battle speeches 09:01 of the Old Testament. 09:02 Trust in God, even when the army looks bigger, 09:06 looks like it's more numerous than your own. 09:09 Have faith in God and His presence with you 09:12 and His provision for victory. 09:15 >>You know, speaking of the Old Testament 09:16 and perhaps facing a foe that outnumbers you 09:20 and maybe has better trained soldiers and more of them 09:24 and better weapons and so forth, that's one thing. 09:27 But then we get here to what Paul says 09:28 in verse number 12, and he says 09:31 we're not even wrestling "against flesh and blood 09:34 "but against principalities, powers, the rulers 09:36 of the darkness of this world." (Dr. McVay chuckling) 09:38 That's a whole 'nother level. >>Yeah. That is. 09:41 >>And there might be a temptation to start-- 09:44 well, to continue the illustration here-- 09:48 shaking in your boots. 09:50 >>Absolutely, in your hobnail boots. 09:52 >>[Eric] In your hobnail boots. 09:53 >>Hobnail battle military sandals, yeah. 09:55 >>That's right, because you're not even fighting 09:57 human beings here. >>Absolutely. 09:59 >>It's a much more powerful foe. 10:01 But I'm getting the impression 10:04 that Paul doesn't expect us to be afraid in this 10:08 but maybe to redirect our thoughts, our attention. 10:11 >>Yes, the passage is balanced. 10:15 It certainly does not hide the foes 10:17 and sort of slough them off into the shadows. 10:22 They're identified here, Paul puts them before us, 10:25 but he puts before us the even grander 10:29 and greater work of God and His provision for us, 10:33 His presence with us, and His weaponry. 10:36 It's a little bit like that story 10:39 in 2 Kings, chapter 6 of, where you remember 10:43 the king of Syria is having some trouble 10:45 because there's this guy, this prophet named Elisha, 10:48 who seems to know all the secrets. 10:50 He can't plan anything; he can't plan an ambush. 10:55 One of his courtiers tells him, 10:57 "Why, hey, Elisha tells everything 11:00 that even happens in your bedroom." 11:02 Oops, you know. And so he, obviously, 11:05 the king of Syria is upset about this. 11:06 And he says, "Well, where is this guy?" 11:08 And they say, "In Dothan." 11:10 And so he sends his army, of course, to Dothan. 11:13 Elisha's servant gets up the next morning, 11:16 kinda cleans the sleepy eyes out of his face, 11:19 and washes his face a little bit 11:20 and then looks out over the city wall, 11:22 (chuckling) and here's this vast army. 11:24 >>"Alas, my master, what should we do?" 11:26 >>"Alas! What in the world are we to do?" 11:29 And we find ourselves a little bit like that 11:31 in Ephesians 6, don't we? 11:32 But Elijah prays for him, 11:35 that God might open his eyes, 11:38 and He does open his eyes. 11:41 The servant steps to the rampart again. 11:43 This time the veil has lifted 11:45 between time and eternity, if you will. 11:48 "The Lord opened the young man's eyes, 11:50 "and when he looked up, 11:51 "he saw that the hillside around Elisha 11:54 was filled with horses and chariots of fire." 11:58 And we need that same kind of miracle in our own vision. 12:01 That's what Paul's really saying here. 12:03 He's praying that the Spirit might grant us 12:06 to see really what is happening in the great controversy. 12:09 And yes, there's this great, massed army 12:12 of supernatural forces, 12:14 but look a little higher 12:16 and see the gleaming chariots of God. 12:19 >>And we as human beings 12:20 have a nasty tendency to do a lot 12:24 of looking horizontally-- >>Yes. 12:26 >>...and not nearly as much looking vertically 12:28 as would be healthy for us. 12:31 And that's something that Elisha's servant 12:33 had an opportunity to do. 12:35 And it's something that we really have an opportunity 12:37 to do as well. As we face the challenges 12:40 and struggles in this life, 12:42 we have opportunities to remember that God is on our side 12:46 and that He is the one who can ultimately bring the victory. 12:50 That's something that Paul, through the book of Ephesians, 12:53 has been endeavoring to help us understand. 12:56 And speaking of the book of Ephesians, 12:58 you wanna make sure that you pick up this book 13:00 called "Ephesians." 13:01 There are not many weeks left in this quarter. 13:04 If you have not yet picked this book up, 13:06 I would encourage you to do so quickly 13:08 before it disappears. 13:10 Itiswritten.shop-- 13:11 look for "Ephesians" by John McVay. 13:14 We're going to come back in just a moment 13:16 as we continue to look at "The Call to Stand." 13:20 We'll be right back. 13:21 (uplifting theme music swells and ends) 13:25 >>[John Bradshaw] Two churches, 13:26 two wildly different reputations: 13:30 One was described as "an open door" 13:32 and "a pillar" in God's temple; 13:35 the other was compared to Jezebel, 13:38 the famous pagan queen who persecuted the prophet Elijah 13:42 and led Israel into idolatry. 13:45 One church was given only words of encouragement and praise 13:48 in John's inspired letters. 13:51 The other was issued a stern call to repentance. 13:56 So what do these two churches have in common 13:58 with each other? 14:00 And what do they have in common with the church today? 14:03 Don't miss the next episode 14:05 in "The Seven Churches of Revelation" series: 14:09 "Thyatira and Philadelphia." 14:11 Learn what it means to be a church 14:13 worthy of receiving the morning star. 14:17 "The Seven Churches of Revelation: 14:19 Thyatira and Philadelphia." 14:21 brought to you by It Is Written TV. 14:26 You know that at It Is Written, 14:28 we are serious about the study of the Word of God. 14:31 And we encourage you to be serious about God's Word also. 14:36 Well, I wanna share with you another way 14:38 that you can dig deeper into the Word of God, 14:40 and here it is: 14:42 itiswritten.study. 14:46 Go online to itiswritten.study, 14:48 and you can access the It Is Written Bible Study Guides, 14:53 25 in-depth Bible studies 14:55 that will walk you through the Bible. 14:58 It's going to be good for you, and it's the sort of thing 15:01 that you will want to tell somebody else about 15:04 so that they can dig deeper into the Word of God 15:07 and come to know the things of the Bible intimately. 15:11 As you get into the It Is Written online Bible study guides, 15:14 you'll understand the prophecies of the Bible, 15:16 the plan of salvation, and more. 15:18 So don't forget: itiswritten.study, 15:21 itiswritten.study. 15:26 (uplifting theme music) 15:31 >>[Eric Flickinger] Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 15:32 brought to you by It Is Written. 15:33 We're looking at Ephesians, chapter 6, 15:36 and we're spending a little bit of time here, John, 15:39 looking at the armor of God, 15:40 or at least the introduction to this. 15:43 We're gonna spend some time next week 15:44 delving into it a little bit more deeply. 15:45 >>Sure. 15:47 >>But in verse 11 and in verse 13, 15:49 Paul says, "Put on the whole armor of God." 15:51 Verse 13: "Therefore take up the whole armor of God." 15:55 What is this armor of God? Why does he use this phrase? 15:59 What's encapsulated in it? 16:01 >>Well, I once made one of those little discoveries 16:04 in Bible study that really brightens and lightens, 16:07 and you feel like a shaft of light 16:09 has come down from heaven. 16:11 Because I always understood this to mean the armor of God; 16:14 I understood it to mean the armor which God provides-- 16:18 you know, 41, regular, fits and so on and so forth-- 16:23 that it's customized for you, 16:24 and it's armor that God provides to you. 16:27 But then I was reading about the passage and learned 16:32 that Paul seems to be reflecting on and using 16:37 Isaiah 59, verse 17. 16:41 And if you go to Isaiah 59, verse 17, 16:44 it's another one of these passages-- 16:46 we've looked at one or two before--where the Lord, 16:50 Yahweh, is portrayed as the divine warrior 16:54 stepping onto the scene of history. 16:57 In this case, He's upset at His own people 17:00 because He's not seeing that they are doing justice 17:03 as He would expect. 17:05 And so, there's no man to intervene, 17:09 and so He Himself dresses in the armor of a warrior 17:14 and steps onto the stage of history to right the wrongs. 17:18 You get the basic scenario here, the basic plot. 17:22 So Isaiah 59, verse 17 reads this way: 17:26 "He"--the Lord, Yahweh-- 17:28 "put on righteousness as a breastplate, 17:33 "and a helmet of salvation on His head; 17:37 "He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, 17:40 and wrapped Himself in zeal as a cloak." 17:43 >>It almost sounds as if he's quoting Paul. 17:47 >>It almost sounds that way, doesn't it? 17:49 So the question is, 17:50 do any of those implements sound familiar to see? 17:54 And so then when you go back to Ephesians, chapter 6 17:58 and you read this phrase in verses 11 and 13-- 18:02 "Put on the whole armor of God"-- 18:05 it has new meaning because this isn't so much 18:10 the armor that God provides; of course, He does provide it, 18:13 but it isn't so much the armor He provides 18:15 as it is God's own armor. 18:17 We are armed in God's stuff. 18:21 He equips us with His own weaponry. 18:24 And I find that insight rather exciting. 18:26 And to me it adds to the whole tenor of the passage 18:30 which is, yes, we fight against 18:34 very powerful, very dark, 18:37 very scheming foes led by a wily devil. 18:41 Well, that's all true, but the whole tone of the passage 18:44 is one of confidence in God, 18:47 confidence in God's presence with us, 18:49 confidence in the armor of God, 18:53 and the fact that it is God's own stuff 18:56 in which we're equipped 18:57 suggests the outcome of the battle will be very positive, 19:00 and the militia of Christ will indeed win the victory. 19:04 >>That's a very powerful picture 19:06 and a change, a shift in view of 19:09 where this armor comes from-- >>Yes. 19:11 >>...and to whom it actually belongs, very powerful. 19:15 Now, when we talk about this battle that's going on 19:17 between light and darkness, 19:20 good and evil-- >>Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. 19:22 >>...you'll frequently hear people talk 19:25 about spiritual warfare. >>Yes. 19:28 >>How does that figure, and what is spiritual warfare? 19:32 What is it not? What misconceptions might there be? 19:36 And where do we fit into this battle? 19:39 Where should we fit into this battle 19:41 so that we don't end up entering into battles 19:44 that we shouldn't be entering into? 19:46 >>Yeah, so, many people, when they talk 19:49 about spiritual warfare, are talking about something 19:52 that we might call by a synonym 19:54 titled "deliverance ministry." 19:57 So it concerns individuals who have become 20:01 so taken over 20:05 by evil powers and spirits in a very personal way 20:09 that they have lost their own will, 20:11 and we might describe them as being demon-possessed. 20:14 Now, this is, of course, a complex phenomenon 20:17 and occurs in some other parts of the world 20:21 very, very frequently, is perceived and seen there, 20:25 not so much in our part of the world, 20:29 but deliverance ministry, then, is an attempt to... 20:33 to cast out demons, to bring freedom in Christ, 20:37 grace and freedom into the lives of people 20:39 who are directly and habitually 20:44 repressed and overcome by Satan and his minions. 20:48 That, as I've suggested, is a complex area, difficult area, 20:52 and an area in which a lot of us don't have a great deal 20:55 of experience, frankly. 20:58 And in the West, you know, sometimes we just as soon 21:00 forget about all those demons 21:03 and...all the list of authorities and powers 21:06 and supernatural forces in heavenly places and so on. 21:09 But this passage won't really allow us to do that. 21:13 It's not so much that they're absent from our lives 21:17 as they're working in more indirect and devious ways, 21:20 but they are still decidedly at work. 21:23 But it would be very natural, Eric, 21:25 to look to this passage and say, 21:27 "Okay, this is arguably the greatest passage in the Bible 21:31 "on the theme of the great controversy or cosmic conflict. 21:34 "So what does it tell us 21:35 about spiritual warfare/deliverance ministry?" 21:39 That'd be a natural question, wouldn't it? 21:40 >>It would, it would. >>Yeah. 21:42 So when we turn here to look at it, 21:45 we say, well, on the one hand, 21:47 there seems to be some acknowledgement here 21:52 that believers actually confront 21:55 supernatural evil powers. 21:58 So the term that Paul uses here--"For we wrestle not 22:02 "against flesh and blood, but against principalities, 22:05 [and]...powers"--"wrestle" implies rather close combat. 22:10 And since wrestling was used at the time 22:13 in the Greco-Roman world as training for battle, 22:16 it's entirely appropriate to use that term 22:19 in a battle context as part of a battle metaphor. 22:23 But that implies, you know, kinda shoulder-to-shoulder, 22:26 nose-to-nose conflict with the powers of darkness. 22:30 And so in that sense, it might be appropriate 22:33 for someone to look to this passage. 22:36 As we look at it, though, 22:37 in terms of principles for driving out demons 22:40 from the lives of individuals and so on, 22:43 there's precious little here that it really says 22:47 directly on the topic. 22:49 It portrays close engagement of believers 22:51 against spiritual forces of evil, 22:54 but Paul's emphasis really is on God's generous provision 22:57 for victory through His presence and through His weaponry. 23:01 And so, there isn't a lot directly here; it doesn't-- 23:05 Paul is not really focused on 23:09 that kind of ministry. 23:13 Having said that, it seems to me that the passage 23:17 does offer some important principles and ideas 23:20 that should inform any effort to release someone 23:25 from the powers of darkness. 23:26 So let me run through those, if I might. 23:29 So, trusting in the Lord, 23:32 rather than in our own spiritual power, 23:34 to rescue Satan's captives, 23:36 our passage breathes in putting our faith and trust-- 23:40 not in our own selves and our own power, our own ingenuity, 23:44 our own wisdom--but resting on God's power 23:47 and God's presence. I think that would certainly be 23:51 a very appropriate lead principle: 23:54 acknowledging the need for God's provision for battle, 23:57 trusting in the completed victory of Christ, 24:00 requesting and relying on the presence of the Spirit. 24:04 If you're going to be tangling with the spirits, 24:08 you want the Spirit to be present with you, 24:11 verses 17 and 18. 24:13 Using the promises of God, "the word of God," verse 17, 24:18 would be, I think, important. 24:20 In other words, we would rely on the promises 24:22 of God's Word--we might read them together-- 24:26 all expressed through prayer and supplication to God, 24:29 trusting in the power of the Spirit to convey, interpret, 24:33 and expand on our requests, on behalf of the oppressed, 24:38 "praying at all times in the Spirit," verse 18, 24:41 or to reflect on that wonderful passage in Romans, 24:44 chapter 8, verses 26 and 27. 24:47 So, while it doesn't say a lot directly, 24:50 it does seem to me that it has some important principles 24:54 that we would want to take with us into any attempt 24:57 to deliver someone from the powers of darkness. 25:00 >>Good and very nice counsel 25:02 in helping to bring some things out. 25:04 You mentioned here that there are some things 25:06 that are not mentioned directly. 25:10 One thing that seems to be missing in this section 25:14 of Paul's writing, which is surprising, 25:18 is the answer to the question, where is Jesus? 25:20 Because all through the book of Ephesians, 25:23 we've seen Paul referencing Jesus 25:25 over and over and over and over again. 25:28 And it's a book full of Jesus, 25:31 and yet here we get to this very important section-- 25:34 >>Yes. >>...and where is He? 25:36 >>Yes. >>Where is He? 25:38 >>So more than 30 times in this letter, you know, Paul uses 25:41 "in Christ," "by Christ," "through Christ," 25:43 "in the beloved," and so on. 25:45 It is a Christ-saturated letter. 25:47 If this is really an appropriate conclusion 25:51 to a Christ-saturated letter, 25:53 where is Christ in this passage? 25:55 And as you look at it on the surface, 25:58 none of those prepositional phrases occur here. 26:01 They're just not here. 26:03 However, I don't think that the conclusion is defective, 26:08 failing to reflect that central Christ-centered theme. 26:13 Ephesians 6, verses 11-17 26:16 work out that overarching thesis of verse 10: 26:20 "Finally, be strong in the Lord." 26:23 And I would remind you that in Ephesians, 26:25 Lord consistently refers to Jesus. 26:28 So there He is, right at the outset, 26:30 in that overarching command: 26:32 "Finally, be strong in the Lord [Jesus Christ] 26:35 and in the strength of His might." 26:37 So, putting on the head-to-toe armor of God 26:41 is Paul's ultimate illustration 26:44 of what it means to be in Christ, you see. 26:47 Through their union with Christ, someone has written, 26:50 believers share in His armor 26:53 and have solidarity with Him in battle. 26:56 And so that overarching command 26:58 and then this sense of solidarity 27:00 with Christ in battle ensures 27:03 that this is an appropriate Christ-focused conclusion 27:07 to a Christ-saturated letter. 27:09 >>Which probably shouldn't surprise us very much, 27:12 but it is encouraging to be able to see that. 27:16 And we hope that you have been encouraged this week as well 27:19 as we've spent some time 27:21 taking a look at the call that we have to stand. 27:24 How do we stand? We stand in Christ. 27:26 With whom do we stand? We stand in Christ. 27:29 He can give us the strength. 27:31 He can give us the victory regardless of the size 27:34 or number of foes that we happen to be up against. 27:39 That's encouraging, a message for us from Paul, 27:42 from the Holy Spirit through Paul to you and me. 27:45 We look forward to seeing you again next week 27:47 as we continue with just a couple more weeks 27:50 in our journey through the book of Ephesians. 27:53 This has been "Sabbath School," 27:54 brought to you by It Is Written. 27:56 (uplifting theme music) 28:26 (music ends) |
Revised 2023-09-08