The Breastplate of Righteousness
Notes
Transcript
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 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.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
The Breastplate of Righteousness
Picture here and describe
Lorica Segmentata - breastplate of the Roman Legionnaire
Iron or bronze scaled armor, built in four sections to cover the shoulders and the chest..sawn or tied into a leather vest..
Is intended to protect the vital organs, the most important of which is the heart.
The Breastplate protects in our: (Three R’s)
1. Relationships
2. Rootedness
3. Redemption
The Breastplate of God protects us in our...
Relationships.
In order to understand how righteousness is linked with relationships, we have to go back to the Hebrew scriptures..
Hebrew word Sedaqah here
Honesty or simply, being in right relationship
It starts with our relationship with God..
Our relationship with God affects our relationships with others. (As a cross)
In Hebrew scripture, righteousness is always paired with justice.
Righteousness is keeping right relationships and Justice is what is needed when those relationships break down. There is an innate demand for righteousness in us (examples)...
There is a fascinating connection of the breastplate of righteousness with Hebrew scripture in Isaiah when talking about ancient Israel..
7 Their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed innocent blood;
Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;
Wasting and destruction are in their paths.
8 The way of peace they have not known,
And there is no justice in their ways;
They have made themselves crooked paths;
Whoever takes that way shall not know peace.
When the people are deep in unrighteousness because of severed relationship with God and damaged relationship with their fellowmen. What did God do? The Lord decided to take action..
Verse 16
16 He saw that there was no man,
And wondered that there was no intercessor;
Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him;
And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.
17 For He put on righteousness as a breastplate,
And a helmet of salvation on His head;
He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing,
And was clad with zeal as a cloak.
It is amazing that the armor of God is really His armor in the sense that He Himself wears it.
The Breastplate of Righteousness protects us in our...
2. Rootedness
The breastplate of righteousness protects the heart, and in Proverbs 4..
23 Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
The heart is the core of what you are.
What is in your heart? Or the better question is, what has taken root in your heart?
What or who is first in your heart?
Josiah and Deanne, love Jesus first.. those looking for that right person to marry, find someone who loves the Lord more than you… and don’t get jealous… Guia and I have that understanding.
Jesus said love God with all our hearts, souls minds and strength.
The breastplate protects that rootedness in God and love for Him from the lies of the Devil.. God does not really care, you have failed God, the Christian life is not worth it
The Breastplate of Righteousness protects us in our...
3. Redemption.
When we have been redeemed, we have also been made righteous.
Not through a righteousness of our own. But through the righteousness of Jesus imputed on us.
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
This is called positional righteousness. The righteousness of Christ that assures us of our salvation.
There is also practical righteousness. Which is living the righteous life in Jesus.
24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
No longer slaves of sin...
Going back to positional righteousness.. this is important. Not understanding positional righteousness makes people religious. Being righteous does not mean being religious.
This is why religion and a religious spirit is not from God. (talk)
Lastly...
The breastplate of righteousness keeps your heart confident of God’s approval.
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
There are four rhetorical questions in this passage. A rhetorical question is a question that is asked, not to get an answer (which is obvious), but is asked anyway to persuade, for dramatic effect.
Four rhetorical questions:
“If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Who can really fight you?
We do not fight for victory, we fight from a position of victory!
Four Rhetorical Questions:
2. “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?”
Who can accuse you?
Satan the accuser.
Four Rhetorical Questions:
3. “Who is he who condemns?”
Who can judge you?
judgmental people
There is only one righteous judge - The Lord Jesus Christ
Four Rhetorical Questions:
4. “Who can separate us from the love of Christ?”
Who can deny how loved you are of God?
Who attempts to put you down, to diminish who you are and how precious you are in the eyes of God?
36 As it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Approval of the world versus approval of God — this is all that matters.
The condemnation of the world cannot penetrate the breastplate of God’s approval
The judgement of man cannot penetrate the breastplate of God’s approval
What people think about you cannot penetrate the breastplate of God’s approval
Hurtful words cannot penetrate the breastplate of God’s approval.
The lies of the enemy cannot penetrate the breastplate of God’s approval
The only approval you need is the approval of almighty God!
Keep wearing the breastplate of righteousness!