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Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might”. Ephesians 6:10. Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power.” NAB Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power.” NET.
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Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might”
Ephesians 6:10 • Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power.” NAB • Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power.” NET
Verb: Be Strengthened • Be strong, be strengthened – “endunamoo” (“evndunamo,w”) • Ephesians 6.10 – focus is the verb & the process • 1. to cause one to be able to function or do something, strengthen • 2. to become able to function or do something, become strong
Verbs & noun used 1400+, LXX & NT • Verb: be strengthened (“endunamoo”) • Noun: power, ability, strength (“dunamis”) • Verb: to be able to do something, after the strengthening process (“dunamai”) • At the heart of the Bible is strengthening & enabling process & power of God to man
Ps 18: Strengthen to be blameless • Psalm 18:30-39 “As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the LORD is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. 31 For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God, 32 The God who girds me with strength (dunamis) And makes my way blameless? 33 He makes my feet like hinds' feet, And sets me upon my high places. 34 He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
Ps 18: Strengthened for battle • Psalm 18:35-39 “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand upholds me; And Your gentleness makes me great. 36 You enlarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped. 37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them … 39 For You have girded me with strength (dunamis) for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.”
Clothed with dunamis • Psalm 18:32 “The God who girds me with strength (dunamis) And makes my way blameless?” • Psalm 18:39 “For You have girded me with strength (dunamis) for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.”
God’s Perception Of Gideon • Judges 6:11-16 “Then the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior.“ (lit. “strong power”)
God’s Perception Of Gideon • Judges 6:13-16 “Then Gideon said to him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian." 14 The LORD looked at him and said, "Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?”
God’s Strengthening Of Gideon • Judges 6:15-16 “15 He said to Him, "O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house." 16 But the LORD said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man." … • 34 “But the Spirit of the LORD clothed Gideon; and he blew a horn; and Abiezer was gathered together after him.” JPS
God’s Strength Changes Destiny • Judges 6.12 The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior." (warrior = dunamis) • Judges 6:34 “But the spirit of the LORD clothed Gideon; and he blew a horn; and Abiezer was gathered together after him.” JPS • “came upon”, “clothed” = endunamaoo (Ephesians 6.10)
NT: Pentecost • Acts 1:5-8 “5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now … 8 but you will receive power (dunamis)when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses …” • Acts 2:1-4 “When the day of Pentecost had come … 4 … they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.”
Strengthened with God’s Power • Colossians 1:9-11 “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be … 11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.”
Earlier use in Ephesians • Ephesians 3:14-18 “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, … 16 that He would grant you … to be strengthened with power (power) through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 so that …” • Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith (v.17) • May be able to comprehend and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge (v.18-.19)
Earlier use in Ephesians 3. “that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God” (v.19) • Ephesians 3:19-21 “20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think,according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church” • We need to be “clothed” & “enabled from above” to “get this thing”
Ephesians 6.10 • Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power.” NET • “… be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil”, v.11 • “… be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm” v.13 • “… be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one”, v.16 • “be able” = result of being strengthened
Prayer & Praying in the Spirit = A Key • Ephesians 6:18 “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints” • “with all prayer” = lit. “through all prayer” (dia, 51% of time in NT = “by”, “through”) • “Pray at all times in the Spirit” = Spiritual prayer & Spiritual warfare
From Weakness Were Made Strong • Hebrews 11:32-34 “And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.”
Impartation Of Divine strength • Like David, strengthened to be able: • To be morally blameless • To run through a troop & “scale a wall” • To battle (for homes, children, at jobs, etc) • Like Gideon, strengthened to be able: • To overcome timidity • To stand for God • To able to lead & influence others
Impartation Of Divine strength • Like apostles, strengthened to be able: • To effectively witness & stand for Christ our generation (though ordinary men) • To communicate adequately, though not educated, not religious (tradesmen, carpenters, fishermen, etc) • To demonstrate God’s power (dunamis) in gifts of the Spirit
Paul ends his life saying • Philippians 4:12-13 “I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (“strengthens me”)