Men’s Breakfast - Breastplate of Righteousness

9.30 - People arrive: food & social

9.50 - Welcome people

- Main ambition is to encourage fellowship around God’s Word and to encourage each other to share our lives at a deeper level

- It will be strange at the start but it will get easier and better with time!

- This group will also give us a chance to discuss topics particularly relevant to men

So, let’s look at God’s Word now together. Let me pray for us as we start.

We’re looking at the next piece of the armour of God from Ephesians 6. And just a reminder - we saw last time that this concept of the armour of God comes from the OT, particularly the prophet Isaiah. And we see in Isaiah that it’s the Messiah - the Lord Jesus - who wears these pieces of armour.

And so, as we go out to do spiritual battle, Paul is telling us to equip ourselves with Jesus’ armour. What a privilege, isn’t it?

Back in Paul’s and even in Isaiah’s time, it would be unthinkable for a regular soldier to get to wear the King’s armour. But our King Jesus is so amazing that 1 - He knows we need His armour and 2 - He is willing to let us borrow it!

So, what is the piece we’re looking at today? Let’s come to Ephesians 6. And it’s there in verse 14 - “having put on the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

We saw last month that the belt of God’s truth, like any good belt, is the piece that keeps the armour together. It links the top of the armour with the bottom. God’s truth - the Bible - holds our armour together. It’s what we need to get back to over and over again.

What about a breastplate? What is its function?

Well, I’d say it’s exclusively defensive. You’re not going to attack with a breastplate, are you? So, whatever we want to say about the breastplate of righteousness, there must be something defensive about it.

And I think that’s where the righteousness bit comes into play.

Brothers, the Bible makes it clear that we have no righteousness in ourselves. Here’s Paul in Romans 3:10–11: “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.”

So, the question is: where is this righteousness coming from if it’s not coming from ourselves? That’s when we remember who the breastplate originally belongs to.

Friends, this righteousness that we’re talking about - the righteousness that we have to equip ourselves with: it’s the righteousness of the Lord Jesus! The most righteous person that has ever lived!

And how is it that we can receive His righteousness? Here’s Paul again, this time in Romans 5:19 “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.”

We are made righteous through Jesus Himself. As we put our trust in Jesus, He says “Give me the punishment your sin deserves. I’ll take that for you.” And then, He extends His hands and says “Here’s my righteousness. Now, God counts you as righteous.”

As we put on this breastplate of righteousness, we are putting on Jesus’ righteousness.

But remember, this breastplate is mostly defensive. So what is it defending us from?

Do you recall what Paul said about the kind of battle that every Christian is in? Turn to Ephesians 6 again.

Here’s Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

We are fighting against Satan and his minions. Now, here’s the thing about Satan. The idea most people have about him is that he is a big devil with a pitchfork and he’s tormenting people. Giving them bad dreams, making them do bad things.

But the devil is actually much more simple and yet more deadly in his approach. Do you know what the name Satan means?

That’s right - Accuser. That’s what the devil loves to do. To accuse us before God just like he did with Job!

“Seriously God, look at Rui. Look at how much he messes up. Loses his temper with the kids. Gets too stressed out because he doesn’t trust you as much as he should. You’re telling me that he’s saved? He keeps disobeying you!”

That’s what Satan does. He brings our list of mistakes before God and says “Condemn them!”

But what if Satan was disarmed? What if Satan had no ammunition, no power to accuse us? That is what the breastplate of righteousness does friends.

As the devil accuses us before God, God looks at us and what does He see? We belong to Jesus. We have His righteousness. God is not going to punish us for our sins because Jesus already dealt with that!

So, what power does the devil have against us? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Yes, he will tempt us to disobey God and he will use our circumstances to cause us pain. But, at the end of the day, the devil has no power to accuse us.

Which means that, in the end, we will be saved. The devil will ultimately fail. Because we have Jesus’ breastplate of righteousness.

But this breastplate also defends us against ourselves.

I don’t know about you but I’m often my worst critic. My conscience tends to bring up all the wrong stuff I’ve done. It can make me feel really guilty and sometimes doubt whether I’m really saved.

“I mess up on a daily basis. Can God really save me? Can I trust that it will be okay when Judgement Day comes?”

If we equip Jesus’ breastplate of righteousness, then the answer is clear, isn’t it? Of course God will save me. Because, even though I mess up, Jesus still died for me. I’m still righteous because of Him!”

This also means that, when we mess up, we don’t have to then go overboard to try to make it up to God with good actions. A bit like doing penance to gain more righteousness before God.

No friends, we have all the righteousness we need. We have Jesus’ righteousness!

And so, as we go out to the battlefield, we can go with confidence. The Devil can’t accuse us. We can’t even accuse ourselves! Because we have Jesus’ breastplate of righteousness.

Let me pray for us and then there are some questions for us to think about in our groups.

PRAY

Questions:

1. How do you respond when you sin? Do you also doubt that God can save you? Do you try to do good things to “make it up to God”?

2. How does knowing that we have Jesus’ righteousness also help when dealing with other people?

3. In what particular ways has these truths helped you in the past? How might they help you in the present?

FEEDBACK FROM GROUPS (5-10 minutes)

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FINAL PRAYER