Wrapped Up - Belt of Truth

Wrapped Up - The Belt of Truth

In a dark, ancient forest in the 1700s a ragged, 70 something year old man made a perilously journey form Poland to his native country of Silesia. Of course back then journeys of this length were made on horse back.

Unfortunately this old stately gentleman was ambushed by a band of robbers in that dark of that forest.

They beat him and took all his possessions including his horse and they interrogated him, with a blade to his throat, as to if he was hiding anything for them. The poor old man trembled and said no. Then they throw him down and told him to be out of their sight by the count of 30. The old man managed to hobble down the path and over the next ridge in time but after he had come some distance away from the robbers his hand brushed against the edge of his coat and he felt something hard. It was a a bar of gold that he had sewed into the cloth belt of his garment. he had not forgotten in the fear and commotion of the moment. The gold was easily worth more than all the rest of the property that had been taken from him.

The contents of his belt were valuable.

Are you wearing a belt this morning? The Bible says you should be wearing a belt. What kind of belt? Listen to what God’s word says.

Read the passage Eph 6:10-14

Ephesians 6:10–14 (CSB)

Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. Stand, therefore, with truth like a belt around your waist,

Tragically and I do mean that, it is a most unfortunate tragedy that truth is misunderstood and constantly being redefined by our culture. One of the best definitions of what postmodernism is “is that is is the situatedness of truth claims.” Truth is misunderstood and constantly being redefined not only in our culture but also internally Christian struggle to believe what is true about God. We begin to give up on evangelism and our own family members and just believe the lie that they will never come to Jesus.

I don’t think very many of you here in the pews this morning feel the urge to tell lies to others verbally very often but I do think that a lot if not all of you lie to yourselves (I know this bc so many people struggle with depression. They believe lies about their childhood. They have let bullies make them believe lies about what others and even God think about. Some of us are guilty of give off false impressions about how good of a person you really are.

We tell lies and even live lies and yet people who tell the truth are still respected for keeping their word.

One of the things that was noted about Queen Elisabeth II is that she kept her promise to server her whole life.

Now I have found that most interpersonal conflict whether it be in a marriage or in the work place or someplace else normally comes back to a promise that was not well kept.

(Your marriage is an old oak tree and a lie is an ax laid at its trunk.)

People become wrapped up into a falsehood or a lie and it hurts them and those around them. I find that people also get too wrapped up in the material things of the world and do not prioritize what is really import. Their relationships with Friends, Family, and God. The old man in our story realized that the things that were stolen from him were not important at least they were not worth being wrapped up in over his safety and wellbeing.

This is why the word περιζώννυμι perizōnnymi is used here in this passage.

This word means to get ready or be ready. literally wrap or gird a belt around yourself. It is a verb, an action word, something you do. We are to be ready and wrapped up in truth.

Look at the others places this word is used in the old and new testaments.

Exodus 12:11 (CSB)

Here is how you must eat it: You must be dressed for travel, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it in a hurry; it is the Lord’s Passover.

We should be wrapped up in truth but unfortunately we find that sometimes we become wrapped in what is false.

Some of the struggles that people face with their mental health are related to the fact that they are not ready they are all wrapped up in the wrong things. But when we are wrapped up in what is true we are ready to face anything!

Mark Twain said, “if you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.” People who tell the truth and believe in what is true are people who are ready to face any situation or criticism of their behavior. The in their hearts know what is right and what is wrong and it keeps them humble and secure in their identity and worth. That is who they are and who’s they are… God’s

Being ready to say the right thing at the right time is a theme in Eph. Only a few verses earlier Paul says.

Ephesians 4:29 (CSB)

No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.

Churchill, “A lie get half way around the world before the truth has time to get it pants on.”

Since we are talking about belts today I am thinking of that song...

Pant on the ground pants on the ground looking like a fool with your pants on the ground.

(picture) The belt did not only hold their pants up ....it was the piece of armor that all the other armor fastened to.

Truth will not only hold your pants up and truth will not only hold your armor together it will hold you marriage together, it will hold your family together, it will hold your friendships together, If you tell the truth and believe the truth it will hold your relationship with God together.

From talking to people who have left the faith I believe one of the biggest factors is that at some point within themselves they began to believe a lie about God.

Romans 3:4 (CSB)

Let God be true, even though everyone is a liar.

John 8:44 CSB

You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.

You know what is frighting?...

If you are not telling the truth you are not following Jesus you are following the Devil.

Truth has to be known it is not just the truth that sets us free.

John 8:32 CSB

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 17:17 CSB

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Truth has to not only be known it has to be followed. Jesus is the Truth follow Him.

John 14:6 (CSB)

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

There is no greater truth than what Jesus has done for you. He does not just tell you the truth he embodies the truth. And you can’t know the truth if you don't know Jesus. I have found that people who know Jesus are more secure and comfortable with telling the truth in all situations.

Our mental health struggles sometimes because we are wrapped up in the world and the falsehoods of the things we are told will make us happy.

When we should be wrapped up in God’s truth.

Remember the old man with the gold sewed into his belt? He felt guilty that he had lied to the robber and told them that he did not have anything else so you wont believe this he turned around and stared walking back to find them. After about a mile an a half there they were set up to ambush the next unsuspecting traveler.

Look who is back what do you want old man.

I have told you what was not true it was unintentional. I was too terrified to think. Here, Take this gold that was sewed into my belt.

what happened next made the old man faint with emotion. They did not take the gold but they brought back his purse they had stolen, and his book or prayer, and his horse. Even his signet ring was returned as they help his bruised bones up on his mount. They even asked for his blessing as he rode away. He prayed that they would not be lead astray by the false pursuit of dishonest gain but that they would be lead by the truth and he rode off.

The Bible says to wrap truth like a belt around your waist.

For your mental health’s sake ... be wrapped up in truth and not wrapped up in the world.