(Armor of God 3) Breastplate of Righteousness
Armor of God • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Today, we continue in our 3rd sermon in the “Armor of God” series.
As I have said, at the heart of this study lies a central thesis...
The Armor of God equips the believer to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
There is a real battle that rages each and every day,
a battle between good and evil,
truth and deception,
right and wrong.
It is a battle that we must be prepared to fight,
because the enemy does not wait for us to engage in the battle...
The devil does not wait for us to stand ready for his attacks.
The devil and his army of evil work tirelessly to bring destruction...
And when we are in a state of slumber,
he will continue to carry out evil on earth.
Remember The devil’s sole goal is to steal, kill, and destroy that which is good.
Therefore,
believers need to be ready to stand and fight,
as we are equipped with God’s complete armor to remain standing.
Last week we unpacked the first piece of armor which is the belt of truth…
The Belt of Truth Holds Everything Together. (faith secure in truth)
The Belt of Truth Brings the Freedom to Fight (free to swing my sword against the enemies attacks)
3. The Belt of Truth Must Be Worn, Not Just Known (For the belt to affective I need to wear it)
Today, we are going to unpack the second piece of Armor that Paul describes as the breastplate of righteousness...
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 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. 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 firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
This morning I will be unpacking 3 points...
The Breastplate of Righteousness Marks My Identity
Paul writes this to people that knew.… Armor was unique to the country you fought for..
Righteousness is unique to Christians in all humanity...
To understand why we as believers in Christ can boldly proclaim that we are righteous...
We must first understand a few key doctrinal truths...
The first thing you need to understand,
is that the God of heaven and earth,
the creator of all things,
is a perfect and just God....
4 “The Rock, his work is perfect,
for all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,
just and upright is he.
The very nature of God is that He is perfect and just.
(Righteous in all His ways)
Because His very nature is perfectly righteous and fully pure,
sin cannot coexist in His presence.
Therefore to enter into the presence of God,
one must be completely righteous,
and free from the stain of sin.
The problem for mankind is that no one is righteous...
Romans 3:10 “10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;”
After the fall,
everyone who is born through the seed of Adam is born with a sin nature,
thus, we all fall short of God’s perfect standard.
Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
I think there is a falls ideology that people can have,
were they think they will make it to heaven if they are just good enough...
(Example scale… more good than bad...)
[Example wife murders her husband]
A Just God demands justice…
So he sent his one and only Son… He took the punishment…
Justification...
Justification is an legal act of God in which He forgives our sins,
credits us with Christ’s righteousness,
which therefore makes us righteous in His sight.
Wayne Grudem writes in his work Systematic Theology,
“In God’s legal declaration of justification, he specifically declares that we are just in his sight. This declaration involves two aspects. First, it means that he declares we have no penalty to pay for sin, including past, present, and future sins.… the second aspect of justification is that God must declare us not merely to be neutral in his sight but actually to be righteous in his sight.”
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(peace with God because of the work of justification)
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Jesus who knew no sin became sin that we might be declared righteous in the sight of the Father.
Because the shed blood of Jesus,
we may stand in the presence of God almighty,
washed clean and seen as righteous sons and daughters.
It is a gift that we have because of grace,
another work that is done through Christ,
a work that was not earned or we could say we deserve,
but freely given to the children of God.
Paul writes a beautiful passage in Romans...
22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
I could spend the rest of the day on this passage,
but I will simply close out this thought by saying this..
We deserve the punishment of eternal separation from God in hell...
But God, so loved the world.… (made righteous)
Paul writes this idea about breastplate of righteousness, in view of something the prophet Isaiah spoke...
14 Justice is turned back,
and righteousness stands far away;
for truth has stumbled in the public squares,
and uprightness cannot enter.
15 Truth is lacking,
and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey.
The Lord saw it, and it displeased him
that there was no justice.
16 He saw that there was no man,
and wondered that there was no one to intercede;
then his own arm brought him salvation,
and his righteousness upheld him.
17a He put on righteousness as a breastplate,
and a helmet of salvation on his head;
This armor is not our own,
but it is rather God’s armor given to his children for their equipping for battle.
The breastplate of righteousness marks my identity in Christ… (His armor)
The righteousness infused unto me once I was saved by grace,
marks my life as one belonging to the family of God.
Thus, when I put on the Breastplate of Righteousness,
I am boldly declaring whose army I belong to.
Like a soldier whose shining armor reflects the sun,
my life should reflect the righteousness of the Son of God, Jesus.
The world must see that I am not fighting for myself,
but standing firm in place as a soldier of the Living God… Amen!
But the breastplate does more than identify me—it protects me.
A soldier would never step onto the battlefield without guarding his heart,
because one strike to the chest could end everything.
In the same way, the Breastplate of Righteousness is designed to cover the most vital place of all—my heart.
2. The Breastplate of Righteousness Protects My Heart
John Stott writes,
“Certainly no spiritual protection is greater than a righteous relationship with God. To have been justified by his grace through simple faith in Christ crucified, to be clothed with a righteousness which is not one’s own but Christ’s, to stand before God not condemned but accepted—this is an essential defense against an accusing conscience and against the slanderous attacks of the evil one, whose Hebrew name (‘Satan’) means ‘adversary’ and whose Greek title (diabolos, ‘devil’) means ‘slanderer’. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus …”
When we know our position as righteous son’s and daughter’s,
we are protected from being tripped up by the attacks of the enemy.
This righteousness that is given to me through Christ shed blood,
marks me as one who knows that I am secure in His love.
It is an assurance of knowing that if God for me,
than who can be against me.
My parents would say that to me growing up,
“Sam, if God is for you who can be against you?” (Romans 8:31)
(rhetorical question… rejected… Blood speaks louder than any accusation… )
[assurance and security in God.. heart]
33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God’s righteousness assures me that no matter how much I fail,
no matter how much I miss the mark,
I am secured in the love of the Father.
Example Jesus… striving for righteousness…
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest...”
“my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Christianity is not about me striving to be a son...
but rather it is about me receiving my position as a son...
let me say it this way...
Christianity is not about me striving to earn a seat at the table,
but about receiving God’s invitation and finding rest at the table He has already prepared.
I will never be able to earn my place in God’s family,
but by His grace I am welcomed and received as His own.
It is when we know our position as a righteous son’s and daughter’s,
will we have greater courage to stand up for truth and righteousness.
3. The Breastplate of Righteousness Gives Me Courage to Stand.
1 The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are bold as a lion.
(When I know my position as a son I will stand with boldness)
[will not be bold if… don’t know my position] fulfillment in man
When I put on the breastplate of righteousness,
I walk in confidence because I know I am protected by God.
It is God’s breastplate of righteousness that gives me boldness,
to stand up against the attacks of the enemy.
When I understand that I am equipped with the breastplate of righteousness ,
I stand firm knowing that I am battle ready,
because I am dressed for war.
Dressed in Christ’s righteousness...
here me...
I don’t fight for victory—I fight from victory…
Remember Paul begins this passage in verse 10,
“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” (Ephesians 6:10)
(We fight from a place of advantage...) [Christ victory over the death] offensive not defensive
The devil wants us to become afraid of the battle,
in order for us to retreat in fear....
Because when we allow fear to overcome us,
we begin retreat from the battle that is before us,
leaving us completely exposed.
The armor God has given us is forged to face the enemy head-on,
not to shield us when we run away in fear.
Turning away in retreat leaves our hearts vulnerable,
our backs unguarded,
and the attacks of the enemy, unopposed.
The protection of God’s armor is meant for us to stand in faith with courage,
not flea from battle as spinless cowards.
Here me today...
To retreat from the battle,...
is to trade the victory of God,
for a fleeting illusion of safety....
By the deception of the devil and his demons,
we began to think we are safe when we remove ourselves from the fight...
But by removing ourselves from the fight,
we are exposed to be shot from behind.
Therefore, the safest place is not found in retreat or escape from the battle.
The most secure place we can ever stand is right in the center of the Father’s will—
where His covering, His strength, and His victory are already assured...
Dressed with the breastplate of righteousness,
our identity is secure,
our hearts are protected,
and our lives are filled with courage to stand firm...
Put on therefore, the breastplate of righteousness...
Close with this....
I have always felt like an underdog… So I have always strived...
