The Breastplate of Righteousness

The Breastplate of Righteousness

Text: Ephesians 6:10–17

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 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.

13 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.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with Truth,

and having on the breastplate of Righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with The preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking The shield of faith,

wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take

The helmet of salvation,

And

The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication

in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Introduction:

* If you are not living a life that pleases Christ, you are wasting your time on this earth like the Children of Israel, you are wandering aimlessly, carrying the name of God with you, but cursed because of your disobedience to your God, waiting for your carcass to fall in the wilderness.

Numbers 14:26–35 (KJV 1900)

26 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. 28 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: 29 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness;

and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, 30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. 32 But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness.

34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.

35 I the Lord have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.

* Of all those people of God who refused to inter into the promised land because of unbelief, only the two men who came back to give a good report, those who were willing to live by faith in their God, only those two men’s carcasses did not fall in the wilderness. Look at verse 30:

30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. 31 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised

* In the same manner, the majority of God’s people in our churches in our day, have despised Canaan land, and will not enter into the life that pleases God.

* The river Jordan represents our salvation, the promised land does not represent heaven, but it represents a life of obedience to God’s Word, a life of living by faith, a life pleasing to God.

* In the book of Hebrews living this kind of life is referred to as entering into God’ rest. Turn with me now to Hebrews 4.

Hebrews 4:1–5 (KJV 1900)

Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

* I want you to see this morning that many who have come to Christ for salvation, receive salvation, but like the children of Israel, because of fear and unbelief, will come short of the promise of entering into the life that God intends for His people to live.

* A life in which we will need to conquer many enemies, but a life in which there is rest and blessing for those who are willing to go on and fight.

2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. 5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.

Hebrews 4:9–16 (KJV 1900)

9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

* I have on other occasions presented the case from the Scriptures that salvation cannot be worked for, and we are not saved by our good works; so then, what is it that we are to “labor therefore” to enter into?

* I have on other occasions presented the case that those who been saved can in no wise, ever lose their salvation. That being said, what is the writer of Hebrews talking about when he says “Lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief?”

* The author of the book of Hebrews is not talking about falling from salvation, but he is talking about falling from that “rest that remained to the people of God.”

12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

* Now here is the point that the writer of Hebrews is trying to get to- Hold fast to that profession that you have made to Christ! Don’t just stop and stay by the river Jordan, go on pass over and enter into that life of promise and victory!

* Now skip down with me to verse 11 of chapter 5 and this will all come into laser focus:

Hebrews 5:11–14 (KJV 1900)

11 Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.

12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.

14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

* Now this is where the writer of Hebrews is trying to bring you this morning. “Having your senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

* The writer of Hebrews is trying to get these Hebrews to stop wandering in the wilderness of unbelief and faithlessness and move on!

Hebrews 6:1–2 (KJV 1900)

Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

* They have been saved, but now they need to move on be strong in the Lord, and enter into the Promised Land, the land of God’s rest!

* The Promised Land is a land flowing with milk and honey for the Christian, but it is also a land of warfare in which we must first fight until we have conquered the enemies!

* Let me remind you of the words of our text:

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 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.

13 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.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with Truth,

and having on the breastplate of Righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with The preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking The shield of faith,

wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take

The helmet of salvation,

And

The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication

in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

* We are to stand against the Devil in this Promised Land!

* Now, I do not think the devil is concentrating at the Cotton Eyed Joe, or on skid row or in the underworld or in the Mafia.

* I think he is concentrating on the churches on Sunday morning. He is working on the spiritual front, and too many sleepy Christians seem to be totally unaware of that.

* Many times Christians are concerned about closing up the meth labs, and the beer halls, when they need to be closing their mouths from gossiping and criticizing.

* The devil is always working in an area where we least expect to find him.

* The spiritual battle is being fought wherever a man is giving out the Word of God, where a church is standing for the Word of God. That is the place the devil wants to destroy, and that is the place of the spiritual battle.

* We recently came under attack by the Devil in this church this past summer, and I believe it is because of the emphasis that we have placed on God’s Word in this church. Why else would the Devil even bother with such a small congregation?

* Sometimes the most dangerous place you can be is in church on Sunday morning!

* Where was the most dangerous place in Jerusalem the night Jesus was arrested? Was it with the Pharisees? Was it with the cutthroats of the underworld? No.

* The most dangerous place was in the Upper Room with Jesus. Do you know why? That is where the devil was that night.

* It is said that he entered into Judas Iscariot to betray Him. The devil was there. I believe both Judas Iscariot and Simon Peter would testify to the fact that that was the most dangerous place to have been that night in Jerusalem.

* We need to recognize that battles must be fought in this promised land of the victorious Christian life. We must be strong in the Lord! If we are not our carcasses will fall in the wilderness!

* In the past few weeks I have reminded you that the book of Joshua is given to the New Testament believer as an example of Spiritual Warfare.

* What Joshua is to the Old Testament, Ephesians is to the New Testament.

* Joshua led the children of Israel across the Jordan River into the land of Canaan, and there were enemies in the land. There were battles to be fought, and there were victories to be won.

* The Jordan River is not a picture of our death, and the Promised Land is not a picture of heaven.

* Many times we incorrectly sing “On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand and cast a wistful eye,” you may, but that does not speak of our death.

* Crossing the Jordan acctually speaks of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and you and I cross over—through the death and resurrection of Christ—out of the wilderness of this world into Canaan.

* The child of God should be living today in Canaan. Remember that Canaan does not represent heaven—it could not because there were enemies in Canaan and battles to be fought. You and I as believers are in the place of soldier service. The soldier’s enemy is identified, and the battle is set before us.

* When Joshua entered the Promised Land, there were three enemies that confronted him.

1). First there was the city of Jericho, standing right in the way. Jericho represents the world today.

2). The second enemy confronted by Joshua was the little town of Ai. Ai represents the flesh.

3). Then thirdly, Joshua had to contend with the Gibeonites. They were clever, sly rascals. They represent the Devil.

1). First there was the city of Jericho, standing right in the way. Jericho represents the world today.

What Jericho was to Joshua, the world is to the Christian. Joshua was told to march around the city—not fight it.

* We cannot overcome the world by fighting the world. Our Test this morning does not say to fight the world but to stand. Stand in the strength of the Lord.

* Remember back to battle of Jerico- They were told to silently march around the city for 7 days, then, on the seventh day, they were told to march around 7 times.

* Before them went the Priests and the Arc of the covenant. Their wepons at the battle of Jerico were the world of God and by faith, their obedience to it!

* “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4–5).

* The only way we can overcome the world is by our faith and trust in God.

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

* The things of the world are passing away, and the child of God is not to love them. Our experience here is to be a Canaan experience.

2). The second enemy confronted by Joshua was the little town of Ai. Ai represents the flesh.

* Joshua thought it would be easy to overcome Ai, so he sent up a small detachment, and they were really whipped.

* When they came back, Joshua got down on his face and began to whimper and cry before God. God told him, “… Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned …” (Josh. 7:10–11).

* And that sin had to be confessed and put away before God would give Israel the victory. And this is what you and I must do if we are to overcome the flesh.

* Many Christians have a victory over the world; they are marching around Jericho, tooting a horn as the children of Israel blew their trumpets, saying, “I don’t do this and I don’t do that.” But they are being defeated by the flesh.

* The flesh is getting the victory over many of us, my friend. Ai represents the flesh.

3). Then thirdly, Joshua had to contend with the Gibeonites. They were clever, sly rascals. They represent the Devil.

* The Gibeonites represent the devil. They fooled Joshua, and he made a treaty with them. They were the ones who got him into trouble.

* God had told Joshua and Israel to completely destroy every enemy on the other side of the Jordan river, but they failed to fully obey God, and it got them in trouble, and caused them great heartache.

* The Gibeonites lived just over the hill, but they took old, moldy bread and wore worn–out shoes and made everything look as if they had come on a long journey. They came into the camp where Joshua was and said, “Brother, we have heard about you. My, we’ve heard how God delivered you from Egypt and gave you victories over Sihon and Og, and we want to make a treaty with you.

* We want to be your friends” (see Josh. 9:4–11). That is the way the devil approaches us. He is the deceiver, and he makes his ministers seem like angels of light.

* I want you to understand this morning that compromising with the World, the flesh, and the Devil will cause you to be defeated in Spiritual Warfare.

* I see so many Christians who have no regard for the Bible and being in God’s house, but when their life falls apart, they cry out “ Why did God let this happen to me?”

* I have seen with my own eyes Christian parents who make light of sin in front of their children, who do not teach their the Bible in the home, who allow their children to live like the world-

* When their children’s lives fall apart they cry out to God asking God to bring their children back, but it’s too late, they have already set their course in life!

* My friends this morning this is the reason that you should be concerned about spiritual warfare this morning! It causes casualties!

* So now we have learned the three ways in which we will be attacked in this Spiritual Warfare that we are in.

1). We will be assaulted by the World.

2). We will be tempted by the Flesh.

3). We will be deceived by the Devil.

Body:

* I would like to take a moment and deal with the second method of attack against the Christian this morning, the attack of the Flesh.

Not protecting ourselves from the attacks of the flesh will cost us dearly :

I. Not to be armored with the breastplate of righteousness will first of all cost the Christian his joy.

II. Failure to be armed with practical righteousness will cause fruitlessness.

III. Unholy living brings loss of reward.

IV. Fourth, unholy living brings reproach on God’s glory.

* Some of you here will remember a little while back we spent some time on Wednesday nights studying about how to interpret the Bible.

* During that study I share with you several principles to keep in mind, that will help us as we try to understand the Bible.

* One of those principles of “Bible Interpretation,” is called the “Illustrative Mention Principle.”

* The idea is this- that God, from time to time, in the Bible, illustrates by judgments, His displeasure toward various forms of disobedience and sin.

* Two things to keep in mind:

1). God occasionally speak, by way of judgment, and gives a very clear sign of His hatred for sin, and then the Scriptures will seem to be silent for a period of time.

2). If God visited every sin with the deserved punishment, the human race would cease to exist.

* Some examples of this principle are:

- The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah reveals God’s displeasure of sexual perversion

- The Judgment of the Tower of Babel reveals how God hates Idolatry.

- The judgment of Cain in the book of Genesis reveals how God feels about murder.

- The death of Korah and his followers reveal God’s anger toward rebelling against God’s chosen leadership.

- God illustrates his anger over lying to the Holy Ghost in the account of Ananias and Sapphira in the book of acts.

* Now I would like to present you with another one of these illustrative judgments of God.

* The Judgment of this sin of Akin in the book of Joshuah.

* The second enemy confronted by Joshua was the little town of Ai. Ai represents the flesh.

* Joshua thought it would be easy to overcome Ai, so he sent up a small detachment, and they were really whipped.

* When they came back, Joshua got down on his face and began to whimper and cry before God. God told him, “… Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned …” (Josh. 7:10–11).

* Turn with me now to Joshua chapter 7:

Joshua 7:1–26 (KJV 1900)

But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel

* God illustrates, by this account in the Book of Joshua, to his people today that He is angered when the people who are called by his name have sin in their lives.

. 2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth-aven, on the east side of Beth-el, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few. 4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

* Joshua becomes alarmed when he realizes that God is no longer helping them. Many Christians live in sin and think that God will be on their side and bless them, but this account illustrates that this is not so.

6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. 7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! 8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! 9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

* Now Joshua begins to complain to God and God says “get up and deal with the sin in your life.” Many Christians like Joshua, are busy complaining to God because of their circumstances, all the while God this telling them to shut up and get the sin out of their life!

10 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them:

for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

* This scriptures give us an idea of the nature of Achan’s sin. In verse 20 we have an account of all the things that Achan had stolen and hid under his tent. Here we see the mention of a Babylonian garment.

* They Holy Spirit has so arraigned the Bible that every time you see the name Babylon, it is associated with idol worship.

* Achan’s sin is that he had lusted after these material things of this world, and disobeyed God on order to have them. Achan was guilty of making the things of this world an Idol.

* Our churches today are filled with Christians who refuse to live the way God wants them to live in order to cling the shiny, fools’s gold of materialism. Their sin is the same as Achan’s sin the sin of Idolatry.

12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. 13 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.

* Just like the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, the majority of Christians today have no hope of winning the victory in spiritual warfare.

* The Christian that refuses to deal with the sins of the flesh- sin will destroy them. Their marriages will be ruined, their children will be lost to the Devil, and they will suffer total loss in this life.

* Like the one who builds on the foundation of his or her salvation hay wood and stubble, their lives will be burned up in the judgment of God.

1 Corinthians 3:10–17 (KJV 1900)

10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

* Those Christians who choose to be saved and live in a backslidden condition will not lose their salvation, but they will get to heaven “so as by fire,” or in other words, through much judgment…

16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

* Remember the grave Judgment in Hebrews:

* Let us read further about the man Achan:

14 In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the Lord taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the Lord shall take shall come by households; and the household which the Lord shall take shall come man by man. 15 And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.

16 So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken: 17 And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken: 18 And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. 19 And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.

20 And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: 21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. 23 And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord

. 24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.

26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.

* Joshua got down on his face and began to whimper and cry before God. God told him, “… Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned …

* And that sin had to be confessed and put away before God would give Israel the victory. And this is what you and I must do if we are to overcome the flesh.

* Many Christians have a victory over the world; they are marching around Jericho, tooting a horn as the children of Israel blew their trumpets, saying, “I don’t do this and I don’t do that.” But they are being defeated by the flesh.

* The flesh is getting the victory over many of us, my friend. Ai represents the flesh.

* Last Sunday we dealt with the first piece of the armor given to us to enable us to sand in the strength of the lord, the belt of Truth.

* This morning I would like to take a look at the second piece of armor and that is the “Breastplate of Righteousness.”

* The breastplate of righteousness is the piece of armor that is designed to protect us from the attacks that are generated by the Flesh.

* The Apostle Paul was quite familiar with the Roman Soldier. Paul has spent much time with them.

* No Roman soldier would ever go into battle without his breastplate, a tough, sleeveless piece of armor that covered his full torso.

* It was often made of leather or heavy linen, onto which were sewn overlapping slices of animal hooves or horns or pieces of metal.

* Some were made of large pieces of metal molded or hammered to conform to the body. The purpose of that piece of armor is obvious—to protect the heart, lungs, intestines, and other vital organs.

* In ancient Jewish thinking, the heart represented the mind and the will and the bowels were considered the seat of emotions and feelings.

* These are what the Bible refers to as the “Flesh.” The mind and the emotions.

* The mind and the emotions are the two areas where Satan most fiercely attacks believers.

* He creates a world system, a sinful environment by which he tempts us to think wrong thoughts and to feel wrong emotions.

* The Devil wants to cloud our minds with false doctrine, false principles, and false information in order to mislead and confuse us.

* The Devil also wants to confuse our emotions and thereby pervert our affections, morals, loyalties, goals, and commitments.

* The devil desires to snatch the Word of God from our minds and replace it with his own perverse ideas.

* The devil seeks to undermine pure living and replace it with immorality, greed, envy, hate, and every other vice.

* The devil wants us to laugh at sin rather than mourn over it, and to rationalize it rather than confess it and bring it to the Lord for forgiveness.

* The devil seduces us to become so used to sin in us and around us that it no longer bothers our conscience.

* The protection against those attacks of Satan is the breastplate of righteousness. Righteousness is to be taken and wrapped around our whole being, as it were, just as ancient soldiers covered themselves with breastplates of armor.

* Paul is not speaking here of self–righteousness, which is not righteousness at all but the worst form of sin.

* Many Christians clothe themselves with self-righteousness, thinking that their own character and legalistic behavior and accomplishments please God and will bring God’s reward and blessing on their lives.

* But far from protecting a believer, a cloak of self–righteousness gives Satan a ready–made weapon to stifle and smother our spiritual life and service for God.

* Self–righteousness will keep a believer out of the power of fellowship with God and it will keep an unbeliever out of God’s kingdom (Matt. 5:20).

* Our own righteousness, even as believers, is nothing more than filthy garments (Isa. 64:6). It brings us no favor with God and no protection from Satan.

* Paul is not speaking here of imputed righteousness, the perfect righteousness God applies to the account of every Christian the moment he believes in Christ (Rom. 4:6, 11, 22–24).

* God made Christ, “who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

* We cannot put on what God has already clothed us with. We are permanently dressed in that righteousness, throughout our lives on earth and throughout all eternity.

* God’s imputed righteousness is the basis of our Christian life and of our Christian living. It protects us from hell, but it does not, in itself, protect us from Satan in this present life.

* The breastplate of righteousness that we put on as spiritual armor against our adversary is the practical righteousness of a life lived in obedience to God’s Word.

* In our Text the apostle Paul is telling us to put on righteous behavior that is in line with the “new self” that we are supposed to be when we get saved.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV 1900)

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Ephesians 4:22–32 (KJV 1900)

22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man,

which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

24 And that ye put on the new man,

which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

Colossians 3:8–17 (KJV 1900)

8 But now ye also put off all these;

anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: 11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

12 Put on therefore,

as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Romans 6:12–19 (KJV 1900)

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey

whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

* To put on the breastplate of righteousness is to live in daily, moment–by–moment obedience to our heavenly Father.

* This part of God’s armor is holy living, for which God supplies the standard and the power but for which we must supply the willingness.

* God Himself puts on our imputed righteousness, but we must put on our practical righteousness.

* Let us remember the grave warning in Hebrews chapter 12 about not dealing with sin our lives:

Hebrews 12:1–17 (KJV 1900)

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.

14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Hebrews 12:24–29 (KJV 1900)

25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. 27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

I. Not to be armored with the breastplate of righteousness will first of all cost the Christian his joy.

II. Failure to be armed with practical righteousness will cause fruitlessness.

III. Unholy living brings loss of reward.

IV. Fourth, unholy living brings reproach on God’s glory.

Conclusion: