And so we come to the final address in this short series on Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 6 and from verse 10 to the end. Ephesians chapter 6 verse 10 to the end. This is a short address as I say, as I've been giving throughout Ephesians. So I'm not going to go through all the details of the armor that Paul speaks of here in this passage. He describes the Christian as a warrior and he dresses the Christian, as it were, in the spiritual armor. I want to take an overview of this passage as I have done with all the other sections in this very important book. The theme here to me is again, not simply the spiritual warfare or any particular item, is still part and parcel of that glorious outworking of the gospel, the sanctification, the life, the experience, the working out in the believer's life of the glorious salvation that God has accomplished. Right from the very beginning of this book, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, right from the beginning, His electing love, His determining grace, His predestinating grace, when He chose His people, His elect, out of all the fallen in Adam. Believer, we were ruined in the fall, we were lost in Adam, we were dead in our sins, and God set His love upon us before the foundation of the world. And Christ came into the world, sent by the Father, but willingly coming. Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He came into the world. He lived under the law. He died, cursed on the tree, bearing our sins in His body on the tree, redeeming us from all our sins, bearing the wrath of God, dying and raised again, ascended into glory, and ever lives to make intercession for us. And the Spirit, poured out by Christ, comes into the world and convinces us, convicts us, of our sin, awakens us, convinces us, brings us to faith, repentance, and into union with Christ, heals us, remarks us, and all the rest that we have seen. And this is the work of the Triune God in our souls and in our lives, and God, through the Apostle, calls us to obedience to the Gospel, living out and reflecting and displaying to others the glorious Gospel that we have experienced in Christ. We are called to work out our own salvation, that which God has worked in us, which is of his good pleasure. When he comes to the end, the Apostle comes to the end here, and he speaks now of the warfare that the believer has to undertake. We're in the pagan world. The whole world lies in wickedness. We have been brought out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. We're surrounded, though, by the kingdom of darkness. And, of course, we are still in ourselves. We're still not perfect, and we still sin. Interestingly, the Bible, rarely if ever, I think, the New Testament I don't think ever calls us sinners 1 Timothy 1 I think Paul is speaking of his past there but we are sinners and yet we are saints but we're surrounded by unbelievers we're surrounded by the world the devil is here and he hates the thought that he has lost us and he does all he can to attack us and bring us down look at what Paul says here about our enemy in verse I let him alone. He talks about the devil's schemes, about our struggle, not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms, this present evil age. How can we stand, believer? What is there in the gospel to help us to stand? But Paul is not going to switch tacks now. He's not going to change horses at this stage in the letter. What has brought us thus far? Grace has brought us thus far. Grace began the work. God in his grace chose us. Christ in his grace saved us. The Spirit in his grace came in and converted us and brought us to Christ. We are sanctified by grace. We are assured by grace. We are kept by grace. And it's the same here. Right throughout this book, The law has been mentioned twice, once to say that Christ is taking it out of the way, and the other is an illustration. But the truth is, from beginning to end, this book is full of grace, full of gospel grace, full of salvation by grace, the love and the mercy of God, and so it continues now. What is our armor, my friend? Believing friend, what is our armor? I'm not going to go through every detail, I'm just going to pick the words out. I want you to see, though, it's all gospel. all gospel he urges us to stand firm to stand our ground to take our stand and so on but what weapons and what warfare materials have we got verse 14 stand firm then with the belt of truth now what truth is that well it's the entire scriptures of course but i believe it to be the gospel supremely here get the belt of the gospel understand the gospel gripping around you tightly the breastplate of righteousness well I can only think here of Christ's righteousness which he has wrought for us that justifying righteousness your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace verse 15 gospel verse 16 faith 17 salvation 17 the word of God the sword of the spirit and prayer and of course then you get also in verses 19 and 20 preaching prayer preaching in verses 21 and 22 you will get fellowship spoken of there put these things together what are they talking about the weapons of our warfare says Paul to the Corinthians are not carnal they're not of this age they're not of this world they are spiritual truth righteousness salvation peace, prayer, preaching. These are the weapons, the gospel, grace. Now I want to stress that it's not law, it's not politics, it's not carnal weapons such as guns and that sort of thing, of course, but it's not these carnal weapons in the sense of politics and law. In the United Kingdom, and I believe it's true in America too, I don't know about elsewhere, many believers think they must petition Parliament and governments that they're expecting political decisions to help further the gospel. I turn my back upon that. I say with the Apostles, the weapons of our warfare are not these things. What petition did he make to Caesar for the advance of the gospel? What calls did he take up? Why wasn't he a member of the conservative right? What did he do? I am resolved to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. And so it is here. we're in a warfare we have to advance the gospel Satan is resisting us and more than that he's attacking us so we need to be offensive preaching the gospel and we need to have defensive weapons and look it's the same weapon the advancing weapon is the gospel grace and the defending weapon is grace and the gospel and prayer and spiritual life all the things that we have seen throughout this book he picks them up again and assures us, gives us confidence to gird these weapons to ourselves, to reject the carnal weapons, to reject politics and law and just look to grace, to Christ and to salvation by the Spirit working in us. He wants to be fearless in his preaching. It's amazing to me that the apostle asked these Ephesians to pray for him, but we all need prayer. perhaps you might pray for me that these words would be effective long after I've stopped saying them when the record of them goes out when the download comes when people hear them they might be effective still they might live on even after I am dead they might live on and he being dead yet speaks may they be words of life and power Paul says pray also for me that whenever I open my mouth words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery again we've had that word before of the gospel for which I am ambassador in change pray that I may declare it fearlessly as I should assured not by might says Zechariah not by might says God speaking through not by power but by my spirit says the Lord what am I trying to say my friend? How do we come into this salvation? Through grace and mercy and kindness, the love of God. How are we kept in it? Through the grace and love of God. How will we stand in the evil day? Through the grace of God. Grace laid the stone, the footstone as it were, and the topmost stone. Grace began the work and grace shall crown the work. All praise and glory to God. And notice how the apostle closes his letter and opens it. Let me just open it again. The first few verses of Ephesians 1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints in Ephesus, to the faithful, to the believers in Christ Jesus, grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And then he closes in verse 23 and 24 of the last chapter. Peace to the brothers and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. Does that include you, my friend? Are you listening to me now? Does that include you? Are you a believer? Do you love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love? Then trace out all your salvation, go over this letter again and again, till this truth soaks into your mind and into your heart and into your soul, till Christ is formed in you. Right from the electing love of God, through the work of Christ, the work of the Spirit, right to everlasting glory. We shall stand, brother and sister. We have immense enemies against us, too powerful for us, but not too powerful for God in his grace. And we shall yet see sinners saved if we lift up Christ to them. Assurance is here. Sanctification is here. Joy is here. Confidence. Church life has been spoken of very powerfully in this letter. It's all to do with grace. May we live in the fullness of it, my friend. May we enjoy it over and over again, more and more increasing in the love and the knowledge and the fruitfulness of Christ. Believer, I would not change what I have for all that you have. You're outside of all this, but there's no need to be outside of it. All the warmth and the sweetness, the assurance and the confidence, the joy that's found in Christ. If only I could explain it to you. i was going to say surely you would want christ but no jesus says ye will not come to me you're really not willing to come to me you will not come to me that you might have life for god by his spirit has made us willing oh may he make many more willing by what i have said here come into christ my friend and you too can share in all the glories that Christ has worked out for us that the Apostle has spoken of here. So, he's closing on this note. We're in a warfare. We have to advance the gospel contending earnestly for the faith. Satan is going to attack us. What hope have we got? Gospel hope. Grace. Grace. Grace. Let me just close with this hymn, My Eyes at Once. Stand up, my soul, shake off thy fears, and gird the gospel armour on. March to the gate of endless joy, where thy great Captain Saviour's gone. Hell and thy sins resist thy course, but hell and sin are vanquished foes. Thy Jesus nailed them to the cross, and sung the triumph when he rose. What though thine inward lusts rebel, Tis but a struggling gasp for life. The weapons of victorious grace Shall slay thy sins and end thy strife. Then let my soul march boldly on, Press forward to the heavenly gate, There peace and joy eternal reign, And glittering robes for conquerors wait. There shall I wear a starry crown and triumph in almighty grace, while all the armies of the skies join in my glorious leader's praise.