Unlimited Grace

Bryan Chapell: Satan tries to crush me with the reality of my weakness and my past and my failings, but I have on the helmet of salvation. He has saved me. My works never saved me. I'm not responsible for surviving this. God is my hope. I have His salvation, and that is what sustains me, even in the hardest fight and the darkest hour.

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 the second half of a lesson from Ephesians chapter 6. Dr. Chapell highlights the power that we're given when we clothe ourselves 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 second half of the lesson, Armor of Faith.

Bryan Chapell: Last week we said, "Christ is risen," and what? I mean, we have a great celebration. We enjoy the music. We have families together. Is that all? What is the significance of Christ the Lord being risen? If He is risen, if He is alive, that means He, by His Spirit, is present, here, powerful, and for us.

The reality of that, not just in terms of the power, but the reason we must have it, is addressed in Ephesians chapter 6. I'm going to ask that you stand as we look at Ephesians 6:10-20 in your Grace Bibles; that's page 979. The Apostle Paul writes, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 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 firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I'm an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak."

Let's pray together. Father, You make us ambassadors for the gospel, every generation, every person, every place. And yet You tell us plainly there is opposition. So grant us the confidence of the power of Christ at work in us and for us and all about us, that we might be prepared for the battle of our lives as we would be witnesses for Christ in every place. This we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Please be seated.

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. And he is deceitful. He is more than deceitful; he is inhuman. Did you catch the language of verse 12? It scares us a little bit. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces in the heavenly places.

Cosmic powers in this present darkness, as though the apostle is looking at the world in front of him and he says it is Satan who has so many powers by demonic forces, by the evil even that's within us, to do things in this present world before us. But he says there is also another parallel universe, as it were. And he talks about spiritual evil in heavenly places. He's talking about the spiritual realm and to say that Satan is operative in both realms to try to seek our souls as well as our families, as well as the things that are all about us that can put us off of God's path, into danger, into hurt, into bitterness, into unforgiveness, into the darkness that our own souls know so well.

And that reality of these two realms being Satan's operative area have to be something that we're aware of. Some of you may have read earlier in the paper this week somebody simply citing: What if it were not simply true that we are human beings who will eventually get to a spiritual existence? What if we are actually spiritual beings who just have a brief human experience? And to recognize that Satan is operating in both worlds, the material world as well as the spiritual world, to do us damage. And we can minimize that, not really understand the danger that we are in.

I have been to that castle in Germany where, after the first service, some people told me they had been there too—the castle where Martin Luther translated the Bible into the language of his people. One of the great movements of the Reformation, that God's people were able to do what you now take so far granted: to have the Bible in their own language and being able to read God's Word for themselves. When Luther was doing that, he was at risk for his own life, just for translating the Bible into the language of his people.

And so he hid in a castle, and in a small room began to translate this wonderful work of God. But it was such a powerful step of the gospel that he recognized Satan did not want this to happen. And at some point, he so felt the reality and the presence and the power of Satan that he took his inkwell and threw it at the presence of Satan in the room. Now, I have visited that room, and I would imagine it's been repainted many times, but there's still the splotch of the inkwell on the wall.

But more silly is the representation of Satan: a little sock monkey hanging from the ceiling with a couple of horns. Were it only so. I mean, we tell our own tales of ghosts and goblins and Hollywood presentations of the spiritual evil, and you must recognize it is all child's play. I have been to Auschwitz, where over a million people were murdered, where torture was a daily experience, where medical experiments without anesthetics for women and children were daily existence.

To see evil run without check, to see it in all of its horror and recognize this is what the Bible knows when it says that Satan prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. And we play and we dally with things that we think are a little bit evil, that are almost good, and not recognize how wise and deceitful and scheming Satan is to take us off the path of goodness and health for ourselves and for our own families.

The Bible is simply saying with reality here, listen: You need to know your adversary. You are not his match. He will overcome you if you come off of God's path. You do not have the ability to resist him in your humanity. Your choices will not overcome his ways. And the reality of that is so that we will recognize, even as we see Satan, I am not his match. We will have to claim the biblical truth at the very same moment: But he has met his match. I don't just learn the nature of Satan; I learn the nature of his power. He has been overcome.

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: Even as we see Satan, I am not his match. We will have to claim the biblical truth at the very same moment: But he has met his match. I don't just learn the nature of Satan; I learn the nature of his power. He has been overcome. I'll say it to you again; remember verse 11 at the end: You may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil when you put on the armor of God.

He was crushed at the cross. He has been overcome by those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. We have the armor of Christ about us. And I know at times we look at the evil and we shake and we wonder: Can we stand? In my own mind's eye at times, I think it has to almost be like a warrior on a battlefield. And we see the evil coming at us, and it's so overwhelming. My father-in-law talks about it when the Panzer tanks came toward them in the Battle of the Bulge, and they just could hardly imagine the power that was coming against them, how they could possibly stand, how the evil was so great, how the ground shook.

And if you can imagine that you're standing before such a force coming at you, and you're seeing through the visor of the armor of God what seems overwhelming, but at the same moment you hear the voice of God saying, "Stand firm. You have on the armor of God. The evil shall not overwhelm you. Stand firm." "But Lord, don't You know I'll lose this job if I do what You're asking?" "Stand firm." "But Lord, don't You know what they've done to me in this marriage?" "Stand firm."

"Lord, they will laugh at me, and I'll have no place anymore. My reputation will be just smothered." "Stand firm." As great as the evil is, as much as the ground may seem to shake, stand firm. You have the armor of the Most High God: the breastplate of the righteousness of Christ, your feet shod with the peace of the gospel. He is with you, He is for you. Everything that Satan is going to throw at you: stand firm.

And you will only do that not only as you recognize the advantages that are yours, the adversary that you face, but you actually rely upon the armor. Do you recognize the armor as it has now been described? You are to anticipate that evil will come. Surely it will. When Paul says in verse 13 that you are to stand firm against the schemes of the devil, why? Because in the evil day you must stand firm. He's not pretending it won't happen. If Christ was crucified and you follow in His path, the day of evil will come.

Do not listen to the voices that say you become a Christian and all troubles go away. The Bible promises if you follow Christ, you will be persecuted. Stand firm. How can you stand firm? Recognizing you have fastened on the belt of truth. Yes, this seems overwhelming, but my Lord is risen. You have put on the breastplate of righteousness. Yes, I have all kinds of reasons that God could run away from me, but my pardon is real. He is for me. I have the righteousness of Jesus Christ; that is mine.

Yes, it is true that my soul is troubled. I can't even sleep at night. I know it because I'm so troubled by these things. But I have the peace of the reality of God for me, and He's still at the wheel. This will accomplish the purposes God has intended. I am in Him, He is for me. I will be at peace. And we know that; we remember that when we recognize all that Christ has done. That is why ultimately we are told to hold up the shield of faith.

I love the scholars who tell us what that means, that in this time in Roman warfare, the shield of faith was a Roman wooden shield in a rectangular form, but on the front of it was either leather or cloth soaked in water so that when the fiery darts from the enemy came, they would be absorbed by and extinguished by the shield. So Satan shoots at you and says, "You weakling!" It's been absorbed. No, I have the power of Christ. "You vile person!" No, it's been absorbed by the righteousness of Christ. "You can't possibly win in this battle!" No, the truth is I shall win because Christ is for me.

I put up the shield of faith, depending upon the reality of being united to Christ. That is my hope. And Satan tries to crush me with the reality of my weakness and my past and my failings, but I have on the helmet of salvation. He has saved me. My works never saved me. I'm not responsible for surviving this. God is my hope. I have His salvation, and that is what sustains me even in the hardest fight and the darkest hour.

That is why I have to depend upon this sword of the Spirit that is the Word of God. I read what the Word of God says is reminding me constantly of what He has done, who I am, what it means to be in Him. And not only as I am relying upon that Word, but as Paul's calling us here: And pray with supplication, not only for yourself, but for the church and the witness of the gospel.

It's almost as though what the apostle is saying is: Make the power connection happen. Even as you are speaking to God, you are receiving the Word of God, and the connection of power is complete because the word from heaven comes to you even as you speak to heaven. And the power now comes as we receive the Word and seek God in prayer. And He says what that will do is remind you of what your armor is and you will operate in the strength of the Lord.

As we come to God, we are not dependent upon who we are but who He is. And searching the Word and praying to our God reminds us of the deep reality that we need for every circumstance, every discouragement, and every assault of the evil one. And when we have that armor on—not the armor of our strength, but dependence upon His reality, His provision—we shall win. I think of it in terms of a prayer letter from one of my favorite missionary families, Roger and Laura Dye.

The reason I like reading their letters is they don't write like missionaries; they write like real people. The struggles, the discouragements, the hurts. And Laura wrote of just recently a particularly difficult time in her life where she was so discouraged and was in a bedroom weeping and praying and needing God's help. She wrote later, "I don't remember every wrong telephone number call that I've received, but I do remember one.

I gently told the older woman at the other end of the line that she had the wrong number. I needed to get back to my weeping. But when I told her she had the wrong number, she said, 'That's fine. I'll just talk to you for a while.' So gently amused, I sat back down on the edge of the bed to hear this one out. I thought, 'Well, I can always hang up.' She began, 'I just called to tell you that they who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings as eagles. They will run and not get weary. They will walk and not faint.' The words of Isaiah 40."

Laura writes, "She continued for at least 15 minutes telling me the familiar words of Scripture. She had no idea how desperately I needed God's Word and how much I'd been praying for it. After a while, I hung up, said goodbye. My husband said to me," she wrote, "'Who was that?' Laura said, 'I think it was God.'" Of course it was, in His way, in His timing, making the connection.

As we seek Him and His Word comes to us, it is the power of God to overcome the evil one, our discouragement, our hurt, our difficulties. Satan says he must hate you. The truth about our waste, the righteousness before us, the helmet upon us says: No, He is my God. I am His, and I will stand. And His power shall be mine because I am in Christ. And that reality is our hope today and tomorrow and forever. May the peace of Christ be yours through the power of the gospel this day.

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.