The Belt of Truth

Intro

"Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth".  (Ghandi)

Truth. It is the foundation of the battle, it is where we ground ourselves. The truth is what we are fighting for.

In a culture such as we live in, and this is not new, truth is suppressed. Lies are disguised as truth in order to deceive.

Even if you are alone among peers, truth is truth. The truth of Scripture is the rule and reign of our lives.

It is not only the paint on the road, it is the road itself that we must remain on.

So, as Paul talks about this battle, the battle we talked about last week, he calls us to prepare.

But how?

He calls us to prepare by putting on the Armor of God, the tools, weapons, and protection crafted by God for your good and His glory!

But, how do we start?

We have all heard the saying “We put our pants on one leg at a time!” And, that phrase encapsulates the same idea that Paul gives in Ephesians 6. We put on God’s armor, but one piece at a time.

So, how do we start?

Read with me Ephesians 6:10–14 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;”

We start with the belt of truth.

What is Truth?

But, what is truth and why do we put it on first?

The truth, simply put, is the truth of Jesus Christ and His gospel. It is the Bible. It is God Himself.

“The truth is a powerful weapon against all evil, and particularly against Satan. The truth of God’s word. The truth of God’s love. The truth of the gospel. The truth of sin. The truth of forgiveness. These truths are all ones that Satan tried to hide from us, or distort.” — (https://mypastoralponderings.com/2024/09/04/the-whole-armor-of-god-my-sermon-on-ephesians-610-20/)

The truth is what God has shown and taught since the beginning of time, crescendoing in the life and work of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 4:21 “If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:”

The truth has been under attack since the foundations of the world, better yet, before the foundations of the world.

Ezekiel 28:12–18 “Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.”

From before time began, the truth of God was under attack from the enemy himself, Satan. This passage along with others in Scripture speak to this act, this sin that took place in heaven which cause God to cast Satan and his followers out of heaven. This act of rebellion was rebellion against the truth of God at it’s core. To think of oneself as greater than God is the lie of all lies.

Satan is the enemy of truth, and we see this permeate our culture in each generation.

Why?

Genesis 3:4 “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:”

When God created the first two humans, they believed the lies of the devil, that they would be like God, that they needed the knowledge of good and evil. And, they believed a lie over the truth — as such, sin entered into the world and persists even today.

The truth is not this, the truth is our foundation, and as such, must be the first piece of armor we put on, for without truth, we will not be able to stand.

Without truth, we believe the lies of the enemy. Not just the lies about God, but the lies about self and others as well.

Have you ever felt the effects of poor mental health? Usually, poor mental health is exasperated by the belief of lies. “Everyone hates me.” “I am all alone.” “They are all mad at me.” “I am worthless.” And the list of lies goes on.

These are not good ways to stand, they are counterproductive lies of the enemy and the flesh.

What is truth? It is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the fact that we have all been created by a loving and real God. That said God loved us enough that even though we sin against Him and His holy ways, he sent a sacrifice, Jesus, to pray the price for our sin so that we can be forgiven and go to heaven.

Which in turn means:

We have worth

We are loved

We matter

We have hope

We can live in freedom

We can live boldly for God

We don’t have to fear man

We can love because we have first been loved

And the list goes on. And at the core is the Truth.

Truth matters because lies are real and they feast. Counter then, hold it all up with the belt of truth!

What is the Belt of Truth?

We know what truth is, but what does that have to do with a belt?

The Message of Ephesians 3. The Armour of God (Verses 13–20)

Usually made of leather, the soldier’s belt belonged rather to his under[garment] than his armour. Yet it was essential. It gathered his tunic together and also held his sword. It ensured that he was unimpeded when marching. As he buckled it on, it gave him a sense of hidden strength and confidence

Remember, Paul is using real terms that people can relate with; here he is using Roman armor.

In roman armor, to gird your loins or to put on your belt was all about ensuring that 1) the rest of your armor was not in the way or your fluid movement and 2) ensuring that your sword was held well and easily accessable.

But, what does this have to do with us? We surely aren't worries about armor.

You are right.

But, think through the metaphor with me.

The belt held up the rest of the armor.

The truth holds up the rest of our spiritual armor. It is what holds us all together not just as individuals, but as a body of believers.

We wouldn’t be the church without the shared convictions of the truth of Jesus!

The belt made sure the soldier could still move well.

The belt of truth, if you will, performs the same way.

The belt of truth is the Word of God in action. It is the act of applying the Word of God, the Truth of God, in all situations.

It is what allows us to move.

We apply the truth of God and when we do, we can move as Christian. We can maintain and sustain. We can do good works for God.

But, only because the truth is allowing it. The belt of truth is removing any obstacle from around our feet.

The truth of God is removing the snares of the devil. Believing the truth relieves us of the lies in our minds. The truth allows us to live, to move with confidence, totally unencumbered.

We have the belt, we have the Word, the Truth. But, how do we put this belt on?

How do we Fasten the Belt?

How do we fasten the belt of truth so that it is most effective? Three ways.

Know it

We must know the Truth in order for it to take hold in our lives and gird us up from obstacles.

In order to know it we must READ IT.

There is no way to know something unless we make it a primary part of our lives.

When Nehemiah and his followers rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, through painstaking labor and battle, you know what they did?

They did not have a big celebration or homecoming. No, listen to what they did.

Nehemiah 8:1–5 “And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; and beside him stood Mattithiah, and Shema, and Anaiah, and Urijah, and Hilkiah, and Maaseiah, on his right hand; and on his left hand, Pedaiah, and Mishael, and Malchiah, and Hashum, and Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up:”

They read the Word of God.

You know the parts of the Bible that we find ‘boring?’ That is what they read. And shortly after this passage we hear that they not only read it, but they wept in repentance. Why?

Because the reading of the Word leads to the loving of the Word.

Love it

Wise Roman soldiers did not go into battle without their belt.

They loved it. They knew it. They knew their belt and they knew the benefits of it.

They also knew where they would be without it.

When the reading of God’s Truth leads to the loving of God’s Truth, we begin to realize more and more that 1) we truly cannot live without it and 2) we begin to remember just where we once were without it.

The people of God in the book of Nehemiah realized that they needed the word, because at least one person in the crowd loved the Word.

The greatest part is, we think it should have been Ezra, the scribe and prophet… but it wasn’t. “They spake unto Ezra … to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel.”

Church, you need to love the word. Not just your pastor, not just the deacons, but you need to love the word of God, the Truth of God.

You need to read it, to study it, to love it, and then, in order to fasten this belt and let the belt of Truth do it’s job, you must practice it.

Practice it

Do you think that everyone in that crowd was on board to stand and listen to the Word of God from sun up to sun down?

Surely not, but they all eventually did.

Why? Because the people of God showed an infectious love and a practice for the Word of God.

The people of Nehemiah’s time, as imperfect as they were, had reform.

They repented.

They, at least for a while, practiced the Truth of God’s Word.

To practice it is to apply it against spiritual warfare.

It is to remind yourself of it. To preach it’s truths to yourself. To not believe the lies of the enemy but to boldly stand in the battle, totally unencumbered by the snares of the enemy, and trust Jesus.

To practice it is to be so deeply convicted by the Word that you make it the primary source of your life, so much so that it flows out of you more naturally than ever before so that the rest of the world can see the Truth in you.

Fasten the belt church, know the Word deeply, love it strongly, and practice it boldly for your good, the good of those around you, and the glory of a good God.

SONG

Conclusion

"Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth".  (Ghandi)

Even alone, the truth is the truth. Deeper than the meaning of this quote is: Even alone, the Truth of God’s Word is the Truth objectively.”

The belt of truth is that Truth applied By knowing it, loving it, and practicing it.

The belt of truth is designed to be your foundation, your first piece of armor. It is designed to hold everything else up in order for you to not easily trip over the schemes and lies of the enemy.

It is designed to keep you safe and alert against spiritual warfare, against sin which so easily besets us, against the slippery slope of sin. It allows you to be strong in your faith as not to allow the devil a foothold in your life at all.

it frees you from distraction and lies and allows you to freely live in the Truth of God’s Word.

Why wouldn’t we love it?

You know the greatest Truth in God’s Word? It is the gospel of Jesus that sets us free.

*salvation plea*

Maybe you know the Lord deeply but you are caught up in a snare. Maybe you believe the lies. Maybe you need some prayer.

Most snares cannot be loosed alone, why don’t you come pray and let the brothers and sisters pray with you, that the Lord would release you from that sin, from that addiction.

Would you come pray?