Unlimited Grace

Bryan Chapell: Tomorrow is not hopeless, today you are not powerless, evil shall not win, Christ shall reign and He is here. And that reality of the power of Christ for us is to be claimed for the spiritual warfare that is certain to face us.

Guest (Male): So glad you joined us for today's Unlimited Grace, the audio broadcast ministry of pastor and author Bryan Chapell. In today's episode, Pastor Bryan shares a lesson from Ephesians chapter 6.

Dr. Chapell investigates Paul's warning to the church as well as the protection found in the armor of God. You can find this lesson and many others when you visit UnlimitedGrace.com, and while you're there, look for Pastor Bryan's commentary on the book of Ephesians, which he wrote for the Reformed Expository Commentary series.

Dr. Chapell reveals how when we lift our eyes beyond ourselves to share Paul's expansive vision, then we too will join his doxology for God's amazing grace that transforms the world. Let's hear now from Dr. Bryan Chapell as he shares the lesson, "Armor of Faith."

Bryan Chapell: Who are the heroes of the championship NCAA final game? Duke, and who were the chief heroes then? Two freshmen, do you remember? Two freshmen guards, Grayson Allen, Tyus Jones, the smallest people on the floor. And yet they were the heroes of the game, giving inspiration to people of my stature. That even in a game of giants, there may be those who contribute if they have the right power.

It reminded me so much of my junior high basketball coach who put a plaque outside his office, I think just for me. "It's not the size of the dog in the fight that counts. It's the size of the fight in the dog that counts." What is our fight as believers? The Apostle Paul has made it clear, it is spiritual warfare. And reminding us that the power that is within us is of Christ Himself.

And the importance of that is recognizing that we're not talking about mystical fantasy things when we talk about spiritual warfare, we are talking about current, daily, present realities. What is spiritual warfare? It is as current as 147 college students being murdered in Kenya because they could not recite portions of the Quran at that Christian school. Young people, as of the age of those who were standing here on this stage just moments ago, 147 murdered for their faith.

It is as ugly, this spiritual warfare, as 21 Coptic Christians, just normal construction workers, people such as workers in our congregation, taken from their place of work, kidnapped, and beheaded because they said, "Jesus is Lord." People like you, people like me, in true spiritual warfare. It is as devastating, this spiritual warfare, as trying to muster faith and forgiveness and hope when a spouse or friend or family betrays you.

It is as challenging as affirming that God is real and He is near when seven friends die in a plane crash in the fog. It is as personal and as hidden as when we struggle in the darkness against our own lusts and bitterness and our unforgiveness and pray, "God help me." Spiritual warfare is real and it is here. But what the Apostle Paul is saying is when spiritual warfare comes, you are not alone.

Tomorrow is not hopeless, today you are not powerless, evil shall not win, Christ shall reign and He is here. And that reality of the power of Christ for us is to be claimed for the spiritual warfare that is certain to face us. How do we claim the reality of Christ's victory? It begins by simply claiming the spiritual advantages that are clearly ours.

Those spiritual advantages begin with understanding Christ's nature for us. The opening words of this portion of Scripture, 6:10. "Finally, be strong in the Lord." I mean, just the word "finally" is the understanding of the Apostle Paul that we have background to what he is about to say. That already in this book of Ephesians he has said, "Remember, you are loved eternally from eternity past to eternity future."

And not only are you loved eternally, you are loved unconditionally. Not based upon your works, not excluded because of your ethnicity, not excluded because of your past, not excluded because of your poverty, none of that. The dividing wall of hostility has been broken down between you and God and you and everybody else who is named by the name of Christ Jesus. You are brothers and sisters in the faith, which means not only are you loved unconditionally, you are strengthened corporately.

Different people have been brought together of different gifts as well as different backgrounds, all in God's eternal plan to bring people into the church who would benefit one another. Who by their different gifts, backgrounds, and talents would be put together with such a chain linking of talent, ability, and difference that Satan could be withstood. And this operates not just in the church, but in families as well, as we come together according to God's plan.

Finally, he says, after you understand all of that, the climax: "Be strong in the Lord." That should be familiar language to us now. To recognize that you by nature are united to the nature of Christ. 35 times in this one letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul reminds us: "You are in Christ, you're united to Christ, you are in the Lord." 200 times in his letters the Apostle Paul keeps saying: "You are in the Lord, you are united to Him."

Do you remember the significance? It's like that notion of the Russian nesting dolls. Remember, one inside another inside another? That you are in Christ, nestled inside Him so that His nature has become yours. You're surrounded by His righteousness. What is true of Him is now true of you. It's what the theologians call the great truth of the Gospel of the double transfer.

That the sin that is on us has been transferred to Him, and the righteousness that He had is now ours, that we are without sin. "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him," there it is again, that union language, "we might become the righteousness of God." Not only our sin placed on Him, but the understanding that our lives are in Him, that we are hidden inside Christ.

We are surrounded by His nature, His righteousness. He has become our identity. So that I recognize now that this truth is to be mine. Satan would love to weaken me by saying: "You weakling. You are reviled by God, hated by Him, an enemy." And yet we say: "No, I am in Christ. What is true of Him is now true of me." By the great nature of the grace of the Gospel, God calls me His child.

And loves me as much as He loves Jesus Christ because I am in Christ. That reality is to help us rise with hope and strength for what now God calls us to do. Just to think how strong is that image for the Apostle Paul of what it means to be in Christ Jesus, united to Him. You have to see this portion of Scripture perhaps with new eyes.

You know this is all about the armor of God and our putting on the armor of God. But in that notion of putting on the armor of God, sometimes we begin to think: "All right, what do I bring to the game? What am I going to put on that helps me fight?" You need to read with different eyes what is in the apostle's understanding of this armor of God. Think of it now. You know these opening words, many of you, verse 14: "Stand, having fastened the belt of truth."

Verse 14, where do we get this notion, "stand firm having put on the belt of truth"? As though I'm going to tell the truth enough so I'm going to be strong. No, it's not the reference at all. Where does the apostle get the language of our putting on the belt of truth? That's actually from Isaiah 11 and verse five. When the Messiah comes, He will come with the belt of righteousness and faithfulness. Integrity before the Lord will be His belt. The belt of truth is actually the belt of the Messiah from the Old Testament.

What about verse 14, having put on the breastplate of righteousness? Where's that come from? That's Isaiah 59:17. The Messiah will come with righteousness as His breastplate. You should have the shoes that are marked by having put on the readiness of the Gospel of peace. Where do those shoes come from? You might actually want to see if you still have your Bibles open, Isaiah 59. Isaiah 59 and verse 17.

What is the nature of these shoes that are talking about the Gospel of peace being taken to other people? In Isaiah chapter 52, verse six, God is talking about something that He will do, particularly as He redeems His people with the Messiah. Verse six: "My people shall know My name. Therefore in that day," that is the day of their rescue, "they shall know it is I who speak. Here am I."

And what is the nature of that one who speaks? Verse seven: "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'" It's actually the peace of Christ that we are to put on.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Unlimited Grace, the audio broadcast ministry of pastor and author Bryan Chapell. The Apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians to declare God's plan that the Gospel of Jesus Christ would reach the world through weak and sinful people like you and me.

He writes that God has redeemed us to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth. When we lift our eyes beyond ourselves to share Paul's expansive vision, then we too will join his doxology for God's amazing grace that saves individuals, empowers the church, and transforms the world.

Yes, such grace really is possible, and Pastor Bryan's commentary on the book of Ephesians clearly teaches the details of this amazing truth. As a thank you for your support of our ministry here at Unlimited Grace, we would like to send you a copy of Dr. Chapell's commentary, which he wrote for the Reformed Expository Commentary series.

You can request your copy of the commentary on Ephesians when you donate online at UnlimitedGrace.com or by calling 844-41-GRACE. That's 844-414-7223. And now, more from Bryan Chapell on today's Unlimited Grace.

Bryan Chapell: It's actually the peace of Christ that we are to put on. The shoes that we have that take us from one troubled situation to another is the reality of Christ for us. I face my weakness, I face the assaults of the evil one, I face the troubles of the world, but why am I at peace? Because Christ is for me. And I go everywhere I go shod with the good news of the peace of the Gospel of Christ.

Also in verse 17: "Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." Now you know that here somewhere else in the Bible, right? Remember in the book of Revelation we are told that when the Redeemer comes at the end of times, He will come riding a horse and what will be coming out of His mouth? The sword of the Word, sharper than any two-edged sword. And the one who speaks that Word of truth will have on His thigh and on His robe, "King of kings and Lord of lords."

The one who speaks that truth, the one who has the sword of truth is none other than Jesus Christ our King. Every description of the piece of armor is ultimately our putting on the reality of Christ. This armor is not something we create, it's something that we claim. And the goodness and the hope that is in that is what Satan will constantly try to do is make us question our own resistance, our resolve, our righteousness. At which time we claim, "No, I am in Christ Jesus."

Satan says, "You weakling," and we say, "But Christ is my righteousness, that is my breastplate." We twist and turn at night wondering how we shall deal with the trial or the people who are upset with us or the people that we are upset with and we remember, "But Christ is my peace." And for that reason I can get up and do what God has called me to do because I am in Christ Jesus.

I won't tell you it's easy. It's armor that has to be borne, but it is at the same time it's not the armor of our creation, but that in which we exist as we are God's own people. I think of how it was expressed so well recently by NBA Lakers star Jeremy Lin. If you follow basketball at all, you know he's having his worst year ever. Back on New Year's Day, Jeremy Lin, who by the way is also an outspoken Christian, wrote on his blog what a difficult year it has been as he has gone through this terrible slump.

And he said: "I am in the fight of my life for joy." And then wrote this: "Only when I focus on who God is and how much He loves me am I able to live with joy and freedom." Why? Because he's got on his Gospel armor. The world is throwing at him assault and insult and he is saying: "But I have about me the truth of the reality of the love of God. I have Christ's righteousness, not my goodness, that shields me."

I ultimately recognize that what God has called me to do is the peace of the fact that He loves me even when the world hates me. It's being in Christ that is our armor. And it's not only claiming His nature for ourselves. The apostle wants us to recognize that part of claiming the spiritual advantages that are ours is not just claiming Christ's nature, but His power.

Do you recognize how important it is when we see in verse 11 toward the end: "Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand." You are to be strong, verse 10, in the power of His might so that you can actually stand. It's the reminder that there is power for us that is greater than the power that is against us. What after all is the power that is for us that the apostle wants us to recognize?

When he says in verse 10, "Be strong in the strength of God's might, of Christ's might," what's he referring to? He's actually mentioned it several times in this letter already. But I want you to look at the most significant. It was right at the very beginning, Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 18. A lot of you, if you were raised on the NIV, you recognize kind of the wonder of that notion from Ephesians 1 where we were asked, the apostle prayed that the eyes of our hearts would be opened.

Isn't that a wonderful image? "I pray that the eyes of your heart would be opened that you could see the truth of God." But what is that truth that our eyes are to be opened to, the eyes of our heart? Verse 18, chapter 1. Paul is praying for Christians that they would be having the eyes of your hearts enlightened that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you. Verse 19, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe?

According to the working of His great might that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. The might that we are to be strong in is the might of Jesus Christ that God expressed in Him when He raised Him from the dead. That same power that raised Jesus from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit now indwells us.

And the reality of that might means that when Satan comes to us and says: "You are weak, you cannot help it, you are enslaved to this," the reality of the Gospel is that is not true. Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world. And that notion that I have true power that Satan shall not overcome, he does not have the victory, is actually necessary if I'm to resist. To know that resurrection power is mine.

My conscience, sometimes my experience, and certainly the evil one says to us: "You can't help it, you can't fix this, you're a mess and you can't be fixed." And the Gospel says the same power that raised Jesus from the dead gives life to your mortal body and you have in you supernatural power to claim. Do not listen to the lies of Satan that says you cannot be fixed, that life cannot be different. The hope of the Gospel is tomorrow does not have to be like yesterday. Real hope is possible because Jesus' power is for us.

I love that 2015 Hyundai Sonata commercial. Have you seen it? Where there's a little girl at a steering wheel, maybe four years old, and she's driving a car at what looks like super speed, making tight turns, going down wooded streets and you're going, "Oh boy, are we in trouble." And then the camera pans back a little bit and you recognize it's the steering wheel to her car seat. And you pan back the camera a little bit more, you recognize her father is at the wheel.

We at times feel as though we are in control and then we're not in control at all as we become aware of the forces about us, but the reality is Jesus is at the wheel. He has surrounded us, He has taken charge. And when we claim the reality of His nature for us because we are in Christ, we have power that is beyond just my human ability or your human ability.

And the reason we need to know that is to be prepared for spiritual battle. We need not only to claim our spiritual advantages, we need to truly recognize our spiritual adversary. He is surely listed here. Did you see it? Verse 11, as God is describing in His Word for us His enemy and ours, He says, "Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil."

We're beginning to learn not just the nature of our Savior's gift and power, but the nature of our adversary. He is incredibly deceitful. He schemes for our hurt. He schemes across centuries, he schemes across our families, he schemes across our land, he schemes across our church. And he is very wise. He's had thousands of years of human experience to discern what motivates us, what makes us tick, and what makes us get ticked off.

Guest (Male): That's Pastor Bryan Chapell, and you've been listening to Unlimited Grace. If this message has been an encouragement to you, you can find a collection of more valuable resources at UnlimitedGrace.com. When you visit, you will find today's message and many others from Pastor Bryan.

Also, be sure to request a copy of Dr. Chapell's commentary on Ephesians. We'll send you this book right away as our way of saying thank you for your most generous financial support. Please be sure to join us next time as once again we endeavor to put Christ at the center of our efforts so that lives might be transformed by His unlimited grace.

This ministry is brought to you by Unlimited Grace Media and continues to be made possible with your generous financial support.