THE VEST THAT HELPS YOU STAND

THE VEST THAT HELPS YOU STAND Ephesians 6:12-14 May 23, 1999 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introductory What is 1,500 miles long, and is the only man-made structure on earth visible from outer space? The Great Wall of China. This amazing structure was erected as a defense protection against enemy invasion. But did you know that for the first one hundred years of its existence, China was invaded three times? The invaders did not go around or over the wall, nor did they tunnel under. They simply bribed the gatekeepers who let them come in. Just having a defense system in place does not necessarily mean you are protected. I think we will see how this applies to the believer in his spiritual battle against the devil as well. The second piece of spiritual armor Paul illustrates in the Ephesians six passage is the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (Eph. 6:14). 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 authroities, 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... Righteousness is an extremely important concept in the biblical teaching. It does not primarily refer to people acting ethically correctly. It primarily deals with the character of God Himself. In the Bible, the only one who is seen as righteous is God. In fact, God is seen as "wearing His righteousness" like a robe. The prophetic text in Isaiah 11 pictures Jesus as the Messiah of God, ...but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. . . .Righteousness will be his belt, and faithfulness the sash around his waist. (Isa. 11:4-5) In Isaiah 59, the prophet bemoans how justice and righteousness are far away from the people of God because of their sinful condition. God is appalled that there was no one just and righteous enough to intervene for the people, so (verse 16b-17) ...so his OWN arm worked salvation for him and his own righteousness sustained him. He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head... (Isa. 59:16-17) Let me illustrate what a "breastplate" (or, cuirass) was with what I think is the nearest similar protective wear we know today. It is the "bullet-proof vest". In fact, this piece of protective gear guards the important soft organs of the body against gunfire much as the breastplate in Paul’s day protected against spears and knives. It covers from the neck to the abdomen, keeping the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen and bowels safe behind a virtually impenetrable shield. While we have ../images from movies that this cuirass was a solid piece of brass in the shape of a molded chest plate, probably the kind of breastplate worn by the Roman soldiers of Paul’s day consisted of stiff leather straps or metal sequins hanging thick over the soldiers thorax and tucked into his belt. When I was a little kid, I think about 9 years old, it was decided for me that some of my aggressive behavior should be spent in sports--football to be precise. So I joined the Little Devils football league. For two weeks we worked out doing exercises and sprints, throwing the ball and running basic plays, but all the while, I remember being nervous because we weren’t wearing any helmets and pads like the guys I saw on TV. I was bruised quite a bit during those first couple weeks. But then our gear arrived, and we had our first practice IN UNIFORM. I remember like it was yesterday what it felt like to put that equipment on. With a little help from the assistant coach, all the straps were pulled tight to give me a good fit. I looked in the mirror and saw this guy who looked like the professional and college players on television, and I have to tell you, I was feeling like a football player. On the way out of the locker room I deliberately ran into the cinder-block walls and steel door to see how good it felt NOT to get hurt by the contact. I felt invincible. I was reasonably certain that I could go out there and block and tackle, and be blocked and tackled, without serious injury. I HAD CONFIDENCE! Brothers and sisters, this is what I believe the lord wants for the players on his team. He wants us CONFIDENT as we step into the battle with our spiritual enemies--certain that we are protected. Part of the armor that the Lord Jesus gives to his church is the certitude of RIGHTEOUSNESS. That is, we can know and be sure that we are God’s people, bound for heaven and fully able to defeat the attacks of Satan until we get there! Because God declares us righteous, the lies of the devil that would otherwise bring us condemnation and guilt and fear and doubt JUST BOUNCE OFF, and cannot wound our hearts and minds, because we have this highly effective bullet-proof vest. What is this vest of righteousness and how do we get it, wear it and keep it on for protection? The Vest of Righteousness is a PRIVILEGE OF GRACE Remember now, that righteousness is primarily the attribute of God. It is not something that we have in and of ourselves. In fact Romans 3:20 is quite clear on the matter, quoting Psalm 14 - There is no one righteous, not even one. To stand in the presence and fellowship of the perfectly just and righteous God, people need to be righteous, but we are not. We need help from outside ourselves--we need to be made righteous, declared righteous by God, based, not on our goodness, but based on a goodness outside of us. When we are willing to admit our own unrighteousness and turn to God in humble repentance, he applies the righteousness of Christ to us. This is because Jesus atoning death paid for our sins. Remember Romans 3 where Paul wrote that we are all sinners and none of us righteous? Well, a little later, in verse 21, he gives us the great BUT NOW statement. We are sinners, accountable before God; we cannot make ourselves righteous be obeying the law, because our failure to obey the law already condemns us. Verse 21 - BUT NOW, the righteousness of God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the law and the prophets testify. This righteousness from God come through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. Jesus Christ, the only righteous person to ever live, died for us in our UNrighteousness, in order to give us his own righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 puts it this way: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God! God clothes us in a "borrowed righteousness"--his own righteousness which was in Jesus! Theologians say God imputes Christ’s righteousness to us who believe. This is why I say that the vest of righteousness we wear is a PRIVILEGE OF GRACE. We didn’t earn it, we don’t deserve it, but by God’s grace in Jesus, we have been given righteousness. If you are in Christ, every time the Lord looks at you He sees the atoning blood of His Son, Jesus, and He accepts you as His child. Please notice this important truth about this privilege. We must admit that we are UNrighteous before we can receive His righteousness. Every other religion in the world, all man-made, will tell you that you have to do this or that in order to "qualify" to get in. Christianity is the ONLY religion that says in order to get in you have to admit you DO NOT QUALIFY. The Vest of Righteousness is Participation with God The Bible says that righteousness is not only a GIFT from God, but it is also a CALLING for the Christian. Let me put it this way: God graciously makes you righteous on the basis of Christ’s sacrifice and your faith, by moving you from the state of unrighteous to the state of righteous. This means you are POSITIONALLY RIGHTEOUS. The New Testament has another application of the word righteousness--that is, righteous, godly behavior. Now, wait a minute, Rich! I thought you said that I am made righteous by God’s grace and it didn’t have anything to do with my good behavior?! Now, you’re telling me I have to behave righteously in order to be righteous?! Let me be very clear here. We get into our righteous position by God’s grace. When we are there, we are considerdd righteous by God; that is, privileged to have Christ as our Savior and forgivenness of our sins and heaven as our future eternal home. But while we live this life in Christ, we are called to live in harmony with our POSITIONAL RIGHTEOUSNESS by GROWING IN PRACTICAL RIGHTEOUSNESS. The Lord declares that the goal of every born again Christian is to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29). While we live in this body of flesh we are in a continual process of growing in our righteous behavior, becoming daily more and more like Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). Our participation in this process does not make us more WORTHY of salvation (we could never be worthy of this privilege), it is simply our way of demonstrating the difference Christ is making in our lives. Listen, it is absolutely futile to try to live righteously before you’ve been made righteous. I mean, if you are not a Christian, none of your good, moral behavior counts for anything. After you have given your life to Christ, and have been made positionally righteous, you are enabled by His prower and presence to live righteously for Him (I am NOT saying you will be perfect). Imputed righteousness makes participation in righteous behavior possible. Positional righteousness precedes Practical righteousness. How is this possible? Very simply, if you are a Christian you have Christ living in you empowering your life (BC, you didn’t). This is why Paul could write to the Philippians: Continue to WORK OUT your salvation in fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Philippians 2:12-13) At this juncture, let me bring a word of exhortation to the church regarding our participation with the Lord in this sanctification process. This does not happen automatically. God expects His children to apply themselves to growth. This is your participation in righteousness. Basically, I’m saying that if God made you a saint, then live like one! This is no different from Paul’s exhortation: Live a life WORTHY of the calling with which you have been called (Ephesians 4). There are three reasons why your participation in righteous behavior is mandated: 1) Gratitude for what Christ has done for you. Jesus has paid the ultimate sacrifice to win our salvation for us. The question remains--what will we do in response? Peter said Dear friends since you are looking forward to [a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness] make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him... (2 Peter 3:13-14) 2) Desire for the things of God--maturity in Christ There were two brothers named Bob and Bill who owned a business in a certain town. They were cheats and scoundrels, both of them. They had ripped off just about everyone in the town and were generally hated by all. One day, Bill died, and his brother Bobcalled the preacher and said, "I want you to handle the eulogy at my brother’s funeral. There are going to be a lot of people there, and here is what I want you to say. Somewhere in the funeral message I want to to say Bob was a saint. I have a lot of money I will give you if you call him a saint in your message. The preacher agreed. The day of the funeral the building was packed as most came to hear how honest the preacher would be in his comments. He stood and said, "Now, Bill was a lousy, sneaking, low down good-for-nothing, and everybody knows it. He cheated people, stole from them and made an enemy of everyone he knew. He was a very despicable man. But , compared to his brother, Bob, here, HE WAS A SAINT! 3) God invites us to participate in His plan to win others to Christ. Now, really, that’s about all that should matter to a person who has been saved, isn’t it--to get others saved?! Philippians 2 goes on in verses 15 and 16 to say you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life... Friedrich Neitsche, the 19th century philosopher and cynical atheist, once said that Christ’s disciples are going to have to look more saved if he was to believe in their Savior. I wonder how many other unbelievers share that same sentiment. Let’s be very clear about this matter - the righteousness of God in the life of a Christian is both a PRIVILEGE OF GRACE, and also a PARTICIPATION WITH GOD AND HIS PLAN. The Vest of Righteousness is a PROTECTION The main point of this passage is that this righteousness we have been discussing is the Christian’s protection in the war we face with Satan. Paul says we WEAR this righteousness as a defense against the enemy. The positional righteousness God has given you by his grace AND the practical righteousness you walk in are designed to give you confidence to stand against the attack of the enemy. And you need them both. Your positional righteousness is enough to keep you in your relationship with the Lord, but if you are not walking out the practical righteousness in your life, you are leaving yourself open to the devil’s attacks in a way that you need not face with such difficulty if you are applying yourself in a participative way in holy living. I don’t have to convince you of this, do I? You know as well as I do how vulnerable we are in the face of the enemy’s attacks of temptation, discouragement, doubt, confusion and fear when we are not walking after Christ in our daily lives. When we continue in disobedience and are not immediately repentant, we give the devil much ammunition When we are not walking in the power and leading of the Holy Spirit, we are sitting ducks for Satan’s fiery darts. We FEEL defenseless. Listen, the devil wants you suspicious that you are saved. God says that if you believe in the name of the Son of God you may KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE (1 John 5:13). The devil wants to accuse you of your faults and shortcomings (he is called the "accuser of the brethren", Revelation 12:10); he wants to remind you of your sinful nature and the repeated times you have continued to fall short of God’s expectations--even as a Christian. But God says there is NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). The devil wants to kill and destroy you, but God reminds you today that your Shepherd is Jesus. He is the GOOD SHEPHERD and the demonic wolves may not have you because He guards your soul. The devil would try to buffalo you with lies and deceitful schemes so that you will be spiritually off-balance and feeling afraid and defenseless against him, but the Lord reminds you today that if you are a Christian, then "GREATER is the One who is in you than the one who is in the world." The devil is always on the lookout for ways to lead you into temptation--not only to trip you up, but to get you into a position where you are vulnerable to his accusations of what a miserable disciple you are; how could God love you; how can God get such a sinner as you into heaven after what you’ve done. Your best defense against against temptation is to have CONFIDENCE IN YOUR POSITION IN CHRIST. You get that in two ways: 1) Stay close to the Lord in devotion and love. Stay in His Word; talk to Him often in prayer. Faith grows in us when we encounter His Word--reading it, hearing it, studying it, memorizing it, singing it, discussion it (does this sound like a cell meeting?). It is also part of your walk in Christ to love His word. How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Word (Psalm 119:9) Verses 10-11 go on - I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart SO THAT I might not sin against you. 2) The second way to maintain confidence in righteousness (that is, to wear your breastplate properly) is to OBEY GOD NOW. In public and in private; in the big things and in the little things. Do it right away. When you face temptation, turn toward God and obey right away--don’t delay. James says Submit yourselves, then, to God; resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. And when you fall, and you will, repent NOW. Don’t delay because you’re only leaving yourself open to the accusing attack of the devil. Make it your daily, hourly goal to never live in unrepentant sin. Remaining unrepentant is just where the devil wants you. As soon as you can, get your bullet-proof vest back on, so Satan cannot wound you. Conclusion We are commanded by the Lord in this text to STAND, with the breastplate of righteousness in place. If we will, we will have the CONFIDENCE we need to stand against the enemy. It is then we are strong; it is then the Lord can use us maximally in His purposes. M. R. DeHaan used to illustrate the value of holy living by talking about the value of a bar of steel. A bar of steel, he said, was worth about $5. But if it were used to manufacture horseshoes, it would be worth $10. If it were made into sewing needles, it could be worth $350. But if it were used to manufacture delicate springs for expensive watches, it would yield $250,000. We are like a $5 bar of steel the Lord has bought. Our commitment to living out our righteousness will determine whether we become servants of minimal, moderate or maximum spiritual influence.             [Top]