Well there's a lot of instruction in this short chapter but I don't intend to go through this chapter tonight but you can go home and ponder it and recognize the instruction that it contains to us each for each day of our life. But really I wanted to speak more particularly on verse 12. And verse 12 reads like this. The night is far spent. The day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armour of light.

We see the difference here between darkness and light. A little verse breaks into four sections. And the first is, the night is far spent. And the second, the day is at hand. And then thirdly, let us cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. So really there's a division between day and night and light and darkness. And how relevant that is, not only naturally, it is of course also relevant in our spiritual life.

So the Apostle tells us, he starts by saying, the night is far spent. Now all of us are born into darkness. We are in a dark state and we remain in that dark state until the light of the glorious Gospel shines into our heart. And here the Apostle says in this verse, the night is far spent. Well, the Lord knows where each one of us is in our spiritual light. It may be that we're still in complete darkness. It may be we are truly in the light. Or it may be, like this statement here, the night is far spent.

And what a blessing that will be for you and me, if that's so, in our life, that we've been in darkness. And it seems as though Perhaps at one time it would never end, we would never come out of that darkness. And yet just like the natural things, the night eventually goes and the dawn begins and the light starts to come. and how pleasant it is naturally to have light and so how wonderful it is also to have light in our souls and that's why we have this statement the night is fast spent and the day is at hand what a blessing when God gives us faith therefore to believe that in our spiritual life there will be that time of day when the light shines. And what a relief it is. when that does occur, and we are encouraged and strengthened by it. So we should recognize the relevance of these two statements, the night is far spent, and to understand, and bless God if we can trace it out in our little life, that whereas we were in complete darkness, there was no light, to think that now there is a little light. a little light which shines and we should be very thankful for it.

You know, the hymn that we just sang, spelt this out in some measure when we read, and we with pleasure realise the glory now prepared. It was a time when we never realised really anything about the glory of God and the greatness of God and the wonder of God but how wonderful it is if God's glorious light has shone into our heart and so there are a number of scriptures which direct us to this and one is of course the truth of God when that truth enters into our heart what a difference it makes whereas we were in darkness

But when that truth comes and conveys the evidence that the Word of God is true and we can rejoice in it, just like the glorious words of the Saviour when He prayed to His Father on the 17th of John and He said, Thy Word is truth. And that is a strength to us and a support to us. So when we read the Bible, we don't read it as just a number of stories or fables, but we read it as the truth of God, his word, and how wonderful it is then when you and I can bow down under it and acknowledge God is speaking to me through his word. Thy word is truth. by the power of God, and it goes on by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on to the left.

Well, it's a blessing, isn't it, to have this evidence. And we may remember Of course, there was that occasion which the Lord Jesus referred to in his time on earth when he gave that parable of the ten virgins. And there was that time, it was dark, it was dark. And we're told, while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. all of them how sad that is and may we take notice of that and realize the importance because the previous verse the 11th verse tells us and that knowing the time that now it is high time to wake out of sleep perhaps you've been sleepy the things of God that means the things of this poor old world have taken a place in our life so that we are sleeping with regard to spiritual things and therefore how necessary such a statement is it is high time to awake out of sleep For now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

What a blessing it is to realize the importance and relevance of that. And so, may we indeed truly thank God for it. The Apostle Peter, in his epistle, he tells us about the time. He says in the first epistle of the fourth chapter, for the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles when we walked, and he gives us a little list of the evil state which we walk in by nature, walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revelings, bankruptings and abominable idolatries. Well, what a mercy when God shows to us where we were or perhaps where we are and quickens our spirit, sends life unto us. What a mercy that is to realize we have a kind and gracious and loving God.

Well, then the apostle goes on and he says, let us cast off the works of darkness. Let us not hold them. Let us not keep them. Let us get rid of them. They don't profit us. They only take us farther away from God. And so he tells us, let us cast off the works of darkness. The apostle well knew what that meant. in his life he'd endured those works of darkness when he thought he was doing the will of God, in actual fact he was serving the devil.

But he goes on and says then, let us put on the armour of light. I think that's a wonderful statement, isn't it? The armour of light. We're told a number of times in the Word of God about the armour. The apostle, when he wrote to the Ephesians, he told us about that. And he said, put on the whole armor of God. And if you read that sixth chapter in the Ephesians, we won't go through it now, gives us a list of those things which are the armor that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

We mustn't forget the devil is very cunning. He's far cleverer than you and me, my friends. He's very wily in the way he operates in order to bring us into times and things and details which are attractive to our own nature. and yet do not benefit our soul. In fact, take us farther away from God. And when it is, there are times of darkness. And so, the Apostle says, For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

It means that our spiritual life is a battle. Our spiritual life is never one of ease. The devil's always on the outlook to trip us up and to direct us away from the things of God. Well, what a mercy if God comes and touches our heart and directs us to Him and therefore to put on the whole armour of God. that we may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. And of course, there is a secret. And the secret is to be found in Hebrews chapter 12. And this is to put on the whole armor of light, looking unto Jesus.

The Lord Jesus is light. He says, I am the light of the world. And what a blessing if God gives you and me grace to look up, to look to Him, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. He's the one that gives us spiritual life. He's the one that keeps that life alive. And He's the one that finishes our life with that blessed faith. Who then, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, endured the cross on our behalf. He paid the price to redeem our souls. What a wonderful and glorious saviour.

Despising the shame, God himself on that cross hung there in that situation of shame and yet the glorious grace given to him despising the shame. This, my friends, we see the armour of light and may it shine into our hearts and give us grace to walk in this path and is set down now at the right hand of the throne of God. Oh, he claimed the victory. Yes, he paid the price for our redemption. and by his grace one day we shall be with him in glory if we are amongst those who have been blessed with his armour of light.

Oh, what a mercy it is when the light shines into our hearts and we can rejoice in the glorious work of the Lord Jesus Christ. and praise and bless his holy name for all that he has done. Well, my friends, may the light shine into all of our hearts. Remember what the Lord said, I am the light of the world. That's the glorious truth of the gospel. And may it touch our hearts and warm our hearts and encourage us to press on remembering these important statements.

The night is far spent. The day is at hand. Let us cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armour of light. May God instruct us and bless us from his word. We'll leave the comments there. Amen.