Grace for Your Day April 27

The New Testament Commentator, Warren Wiersbe, once said that: “The Christian life is a battleground, not a playground.” By that, he meant that it is not easy to be a Christian. It is not a simple thing to do because there are temptations to avoid, sins to forsake, and an enemy to contend with which is why so many Christians are discouraged today.

It is why so many believers are tired and worn out and frustrated because the battle is exhausting. It is draining because it never lets up. From the time you wake up in the morning until the time you go to bed at night, your mind is filled with sinful thoughts that you have to be dealt with which is what Paul addresses next in the Book of Ephesians. This is what he writes about in Ephesians 6:10-13 when he says:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

Several times in this passage, Paul mentions “the full armor of God” or “the complete armor of God” to remind you that this is what God has given you. This is what He has provided for you as a Christian. He has given you His full armor. He has given you every weapon that you need to defeat the enemy so that you are lacking in nothing. You have all that you need.

He also reminds us that our fight is against an unseen enemy. It is “against the spiritual forces of wickedness” so the Lord has given us weapons to contend with that. He has given us spiritual weapons such as the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation. So many Christians are focused on fighting physical battles today. They are focused on fighting political ones and social ones but Paul says that that should not be our greatest concern. Our greatest concern should be to fight for things like righteousness and salvation. Our greatest concern should be to fight a spiritual battle because that is what God has equipped us to do. It is what He has prepared us to do which is what we are going to talk about this week at Grace Fellowship Church.

This Sunday, we are going to study the Armor of God. We are going to begin a 6-week discussion of the weapons that the Lord has provided for us. Since this is how Paul closes the Book of Ephesians, we are going to go through it slowly. We are going to take our time so we can carefully examine the vast array of equipment that is available for us to use in the battle. We want to explore it from every angle that we can think of.

The sermon will be preached at our 9:15 and 11:00 services on Sunday and it will also be available on our You Tube Channel for those who cannot make it out in person. I am praying that the Lord will use it to show us where our true strength is found. We can defeat the enemy and all that he throws against us if we apply what Paul says here. We can do it if we are “strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” May the Lord give us grace to understand this important lesson. – Jeremy Cagle