The Breastplate of Righteousness

Intro

“It is an unfortunate fact that we can secure peace only by preparing for war.” — John F. Kennedy

It is an unfortunate reality that sin has permeated the hearts of man.

It is an unfortunate fact that we are facing the battle.

However, there is a glorious hope behind it all. That hope is this:

In the midst of the battle, there is protection; there is armor; there is a Warrior, Jesus.

In the middle of these unfortunate realities lies the fortunate fact that we can be protected by the armor of God throughout.

Through it all, though sin permeates each of our hearts, our hearts can be guarded, not by our righteousness, but by the Breastplate of Christ’s Righteousness.

Ephesians 6:10–14 KJV 1900

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;

What is Righteousness

Just like last week, in order to really understand the imagery that Paul is using, we must start with the very basic rudimentary question of: What is righteousness?

Righteousness is all about the root word “right.”

Righteousness is “Right-ness.” It is the good, straight, and objectively true thing.

It is a moral standard.

What is imperative to understand about righteousness, though, is that we, as sinful people, are not righteousness.

Romans 3:10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”

All people, since the fall of man, have had sin in their life. In order to be righteous, we must have someone extra, something more.

We must have the righteousness of a perfect person.

We must have the righteousness of Christ.

But, there are a few different ways to look at the righteousness of Christ. There is the righteousness that has been imputed upon believers and the righteousness that we practice, or imparted righteousness.

Imputed Righteousness

What is the difference and why do you care?

It is important to understand the difference 1) because it matters for your daily walk with Christ and 2) we have to understand what Paul is talking about with the putting on of the breastplate of righteousness.

In simple terms, imputed righteousness is the justfication from God that saves you from your sinful self.

It is the state of righteousness.

The moment we decide to turn from our sin and to Christ, he imputes His righteousness upon us. He makes us righteous before the Father by clothing us in His righteousness.

Genesis 15:6 “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

This is not the daily act of doing right things, this is the state of being right before God.

Imparted Righteousness

Imparted righteousness, however, is the act of doing right things.

This is what Paul is talking about when he calls us to put on the righteousness of Christ in Ephesians 6.

To put on in this context and original language was to clothe yourself.

In other words, we have been clothed by Christ. But, we still have the daily responsibility to choose that new outfit.

We have the righteousness of Christ, but we still have to put on in the sense of choosing to use that righteousness daily.

“Leroy Forlines … argues … that justification and sanctification go hand-in-hand. You can’t have one without the other. We were buried with Christ (justificaiton) so that we might be raised with Christ (sanctification). This growth in Christlikeness, this daily cleansing from sin, is at the core of the gospel, which says that Christ came to grant us His righteousness so that we might be freed to practice personal righteousness and flee from sin.” (Washing of the Saints Feet, 59).

You are an unrighteous person naturally, that is why we need salvation from sin. You will never choose to act righteously naturally. And, you cannot put on the breastplate of righteousness without first being clothes by the righteousness of Jesus.

How Do We Put It On?

Righteousness is vital to the life of a believer. But, how do we put on the breastplate that is righteousness?

Remember

First, we must remember why we have the breastplate to begin with: because Jesus died for us to be forgiven.

Hebrews 10:10 “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

We have righteousness only because of Jesus and what Jesus did for us.

This first step is instrumental in the battle because Jesus is the one standing with and for us; therefore, we must realize that the battle belongs to Him and without Him, we cannot stand.

We must remember what Jesus did in order to understand the value of the breastplate.

Choose

Once we remember what Jesus has done, we must choose to allow it to mean something to us.

Again, Paul was very clear that we put on the breastplate of righteousness, meaning that we make a conscience decision to follow Christ into the battle.

I have shared this quote often, but you will not get to heaven and wonder “Hm… how did I get here?”

Heaven doesn't happen by accident, following Jesus doesn’t happen by accident, choosing righteousness doesn’t happen by accident.

It is a choice we make daily to choose the right thing, the straight path, the way of Christ.

Act

And, then that choice leads to action. If not, you chose something else.

To choose righteousness is simply to behave the right way.

There is a misconception in our culture, one that affects many of us. The idea of Subjective Truth.

This concept basically says “There is no real truth whatsoever. Whatever you believe to be truth is the truth, your truth at least.”

There are many problems with this theory, one being, where is God? But, another is that there is no “right and wrong” in this ideology. No belief in right and wrong means that people don’t believe that they are sinful, the first prerequisite for salvation.

There is right. There is wrong. Behave the right, good, biblical, righteous way — even to people you may not like.

Behaving righteously isn’t just about your actions in public, it is about your private life and thoughts as well.

God knows your thoughts, and those sinful thoughts that you dwell on, they are wrong, they are not righteous. We must rely on the grace of God to constantly deliver us from them, and when we choose righteousness, then those thoughts will go away and will not turn into sinful action.

Putting on the breastplate of righteousness is a choice to daily pick righteousness up, the righteousness and goodness of Christ, and make it a primary piece of your ensemble, allowing it to guide your thoughts and behaviors both publically and privately

All this is good and well, but, what is the point? What good is all of this?

What Good is It?

If you ask, what good is the breastplate of righteousness, i encourage you first to know the Word of God better, the Word of God, time and time again, speaks to the deep value of the righteousness of Christ for our good and His glory. Remember, His righteousness is the only thing that will get you to heaven!

But, while we are still here, what good, or what benefit is the breastplate of righteousness?

It Protects your Heart

Isaiah 59:17 “For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, And an helmet of salvation upon his head; And he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, And was clad with zeal as a cloke.”

The breastplate in the Roman armor set protected all of the vital organs. From the top of the chest to the bottom of the abdomen, the breastplate was responsible to keep the soldier safe from the arrows of the enemy.

Most significantly, though, it protected his heart.

Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.”

Keep thy heart.

Protect thy heart. For out of the hear are the issues of life, other places in Scripture phrase it “out of the heart, the mouth speaks”

Listen church, if your heart guides your while life, down to your speech, don’t we think that it is valuable? Don’t you think it is worth protecting?

I do!

But, how do we protect it?

The old saying goes “trash in, trash out” and this is the very truth.

What you watch, touch, listen to, taste, or smell will be processed by your brain and then your heart (your soul, the core of who you are) will adopt it as truth if it happens enough.

You are what your heart believes, and your heart believes what your mind conceives.

Protect your heart by protecting your senses, use them not to satisfy the flesh, but the spirit, the heart.

Protect your heart by filling it with the righteousness of God through His Word and your actions.

This will prepare you and strengthen you for the future.

Strengthens You for Further Battle

When I was 19, I had a car wreck on the way back to college from fall break. I had just left the house.

That was a battle! Driving that car to nashville with a duck-taped bumper was a battle! But, I was okay. I just didn’t want that to happen again anytime soon.

However, that night while riding with some friends, we got into another wreck!

That one hurt…

Talk about battle after battle!

And, church, on a spiritual level, we are not guaranteed a timeline of battles with ample time in between each.

We may face one battle today, and another tomorrow, and so on.

So, we must put on the breastplate of righteousness so that we are strengthened by God for yet another battle!

Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

Our hearts are wicked, therefore, when we are exhausted from one battle and get launched into another, we cannot rely on our wicked hearts to give us peace and direction, we must rely on Christ and His righteousness.

This is the only way that we will get through one battle after another.

Wearing the righteousness of Christ, putting it on time and time again, this keeps us strengthened. This helps us to see Christ.

This reminds you that he is here!

Reminds You That He is With You

In Exodus, as the people of God were escaping Egypt and began wandering through the dessert, they were reminded constantly of God’s presence.

Through physical signs such as the pillars of cloud and fire, to their sustainance with mana and quail from heaven, to the Tabernacle of God, they were constantly reminded of God’s presence.

Exodus 33:14 “And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.”

Why though were they reminded? Because God was always with them.

Church, God is always with you, his righteousness has been imputed upon you, but, when you decide to truly follow Jesus Christ, and you put that breastplate of righteousness on, then you are choosing daily to walk with Christ and His Word. You are reminded of Him because you choose Him daily.

You choose Him by reading His word, praying, choosing righteous actions, and reminding yourself that that God is with you always.

Deuteronomy 31:6–8 “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”

Though this was a direct promise to Joshua, this is a principle that reigns with us still today.

God goes with His people. He is faithful to the faithful. He forgives sinners. He forgives you.

He is with you, fear not, don’t be dismayed, put on the protection that He forged for you, out on Christ today, model Him, trust in Him, witness Him, glorify His name, let your life shine the love and justice of Jesus Christ everyday.

Put on the breastplate of Righteousness.

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Conclusion

“It is an unfortunate fact that we can secure peace only by preparing for war.” — John F. Kennedy

It is an unfortunate reality that sin has permeated the hearts of man.

It is an unfortunate fact that we are facing the battle.

However, there is a glorious hope behind it all. That hope is this:

In the midst of the battle, there is protection; there is armor; there is a Warrior, Jesus.

In the middle of these unfortunate realities lies the fortunate fact that we can be protected by the armor of God throughout.

Through it all, though sin permeates each of our hearts, our hearts can be guarded, not by our righteousness, but by the Breastplate of Christ’s Righteousness.

Christ’s righteousness is available for you today. His protection and peace are readily available for you.

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid … for the Lord thy God goes with thee, he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”

Be strong in battle.

Stand firm

Watch Christ fight for you

Trust His methods

Trust His peace

Trust his armor.

This morning, trust that His righteousness is enough to save you and sustain you

*salvation plea*

Church, each morning, get ready for the day by choosing the righteousness of Christ as your guide. Put on the protection of the breastplate of righteousness.