Breastplate of Righteousness Part 2

April 28 at 2pm - Movies in Orange - Cinemark Century Theaters - Unsung Hero. Next week we will have a table for people to rsvp and receive their tickets, First come first serve basis 55 tix. (Also table set up on the 21 if any are left)

Ephesians 6:10–20 NIV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is 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. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Breastplate of Righteousness Part 2

The Grounds for our righteousness is Christ and Christ alone. His death and resurrection.

Romans 4:24–25 “but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”

Not “As if”

Jesus Glasses - Some think that God is wearing Jesus glasses and he looks at us through them and if he takes them off for even a second he will see the dirty sinner we really are.

Yet that flies right in the face of true biblical doctrine - that I really was changed!

We are made righteous.

2 Corinthians 5:19-21 NLT 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Being right with God is everything. In John 16:8-11 (And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.

Because He is creator, He is my all. I need him to provide, protect, transform, heal, care, love, hear me when i cry, answer my call, be God.

How right with God are we?

1 Corinthians 1:30 “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”

I am as right with God as Jesus is because my rightness is not my own, it is his - I have his righteousness. (My works are not brought to the table, they aren’t part of this equation).

When Jesus returns, He isn’t coming back to deal with sin or to purify us or to cleanse us, he already did and he finished the work. It is finished. He is seated (no seats in the temple because the work was never finished).

So what do we conclude that Jesus is sitting in the true tabernacle? The work for cleansing and purifying sin is finished.

Hebrews 1:3 “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

Hebrews 9:28 “so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

God doesn’t look at you “as if” you are righteous, but you are.

We didn’t need to just have our works improved or go from sinning to not sinning, we needed a complete death and resurrection, a complete rebuild and structure change within us, exactly what God has done through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Scripture says we are born again, born of his spirit, birthed by God, we are new and different. Changed at the core, this is not a theoretical righteousness or pretend righteousness but real righteousness, really new, really different, really a son and daughter of God - again all because of the resurrection of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17-18 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ.

2. (This leads to practical application) The resurrection & Gift of Righteousness means you are a new person

You will prove this new nature, one way or the other:

Sin = you will be miserable, frustrated because it’s against the new you.

Live righteously = that’s who you are. Died with Christ and we live from His resurrection life.

Loving our enemies, praying for those who hurt us… It will be hard on our pride but a peace in our spirit because that is what we are made to do.

This is practically applied:

Romans 6:12–14 NLT Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires (sinning and sin is not my identity) (The enemy will try to convince you that you are your sins).

When you are tempted, you can recognize that it isn’t you, it isn’t my identity, it is not my nature - you can resist.

13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God (the very purpose for our existence).

We need to ask ourselves regularly: Is what I am about to do, or the way I am relating to someone, or this particular practice in which I am engaging the result of my offering my mind, heart, and body to God? Or is something that I have been doing, am doing, or am thinking about doing the result of my offering myself to do my own bidding—the bidding of self-centered, self-gratifying impulses? That self-centeredness is sin, and we were slaves before.

14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

3. We are made new for one thing - bringing glory to God.

Secular study (that is what happens when you add evolution with humanism - remove God from creation and remove God from the center and replace him with man - purposeless, sick)

We don’t live our lives to bring ourselves glory or to receive glory from others but we live to bring him glory and for his praise.

How did Jesus tell us we bring glory to the Father?

John 15:7–8“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

The tree inside - righteousness produces fruit - righteous living and good works.

Matthew 5:16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Philippians 1:11 “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”

Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Titus 3:3-8 NLT Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. 4 But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. 7 Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good.

While we can never repay God or equal his grace, we are nevertheless provoked by God’s generosity to live like people who can never give enough back to God, who can never reach a point where they can say “I’ve given back to God as God has given to me; I can start living for myself again now.”

3. The conjunction (Bearing Fruit) - Gift of righteousness and eternal life does produce something:

You're made (born again, new creation) for one thing, bearing fruit unto God.

John 15:7–8“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Gift of the Spirit

Titus 3:3–8“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.”

Paul certainly gave himself up for the one who gave himself for him

Galatians 2:19–20““For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

The free gift of righteousness and grace speaks to the fact that the giving could not be coerced by any act of our own, yet in our receiving of said gift creates a relationship of obligation, what Paul would call in Romans 12:1–2“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

New Living Translation Chapter 7

4 So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.

Transformation: The Heart of Paul’s Gospel (A Great Gift Is a Great Responsibility)

While we can never repay God or equal his grace, we are nevertheless provoked by God’s generosity to live like people who can never give enough back to God, who can never reach a point where they can say “I’ve given back to God as God has given to me; I can start living for myself again now.”

God has freed us to live a life of doing Good.

May the world see us and know us

Overcome evil by doing good.

Rich in good works.

Saved, for good works.

When you are accused, you can speak Scripture: Romans 8:31–34“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”

City of refuge - freedom from the fear of Death.

Our salvation is connected to the length of Jesus’ life - Hebrews 7:24–25“but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”

Hebrews 1:10–12“He also says, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.””