Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
We in the closing section of what has been an amazing
letter from the Apostle Paul to the Ephesian Church.
This church lived in the shadow of the heart of pagan worship and destruction.
And so we can see how the culture around them was trying to encroach on the power of the gospel over their lives.
Paul has given them an incredible distinction of the believer’s life in Jesus alone.
What we have learned is that our lives are a beacon of spiritual victory over the forces of darkness around us because of the strength of Jesus Christ within us.
Every one of us has the same strength through the same Lord, which was Paul’s initial exhortation in the opening verses of this section: “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
Therefore we all are to clothe ourselves in the armour of God.
And really this is symbolic of our clothing ourselves in the Lord Jesus himself.
Not our strenght, his strength.
Not our truth, his truth.
Not our righteousness, his righteousness.
Not our peace, his peace.
Not our faith and salvation, but his.
Not our prayers, but praying in the Spirit.
That is the image of the victorious believer and we all have this tremendous resources for the entirety of our lives until we see him face to face.
Because the reality of what Paul is trying to covey is that we will face trials and hardships in our Christian walk.
Not only did Paul tell us that, Jesus promised us that in John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.
In the world you will have tribulation.
But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
So you can be sure that Satan is going to do all he can to disrupt your faith and trust in Christ.
He’s going to relentlessly try to cause you to stumble in your walk.
Let me provide you with some ways that Satan attacks
He’ll convince you of impending doom (2 Corinthians 2:11; 4:4)
Through constant barrage of lie and half truths (John 8:44)
Through false self-righteouness
Through deceptive and false teachings (1 Tim 4:1, Matt 7:15, Acts 20:30) to undermine God’s character and power and confuse us with false doctrine
To doubt God’s grace and forgiveness
Through hindering faithfulness in worship and Christian service
Through pride of self to depend on our own or worldly resources
Disobedience to God’s commands.
(Matt 4:1-11, 2 Cor 11:3, Luke 22:3-6)
Through sickness and disease.
James tells us in James 4:7 “7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
The way we do that is be clothing ourselves (continually) in God’s Armor of Jesus Christ.
If we hold fast in Christ there is no scheme of the enemy that will be victorious over us.
The Belt of Truth
Ephes 6:14 “14 ...having fastened on the belt of truth, ...”
When we get up and come to church in the morning, usually the belt is the last thing we put on.
In fact, for many of us, it is more of a decorative accessory to our outfit, than something utilitarian.
However for the Roman soldier, the belt would be one of the most important components to his uniform that would likely save his life in combat, which is why the Apostle Paul starts with the belt of truth.
You see, a Roman soldier’s uniform started with the tunic, or cloak.
The tunic was basically a square piece of fabric that had holes for the head and the arms.
It was the belt that gathered all the excess fabric together.
For the Roman soldier, the belt was what held his entire armour together.
It tightened the clothing neatly around his body.
It held the breastplate in proper place.
It had a clip where the shield rested.
It held the sword where the soldier could easily get to it.
It consisted of a shoulder strap that would also display the soldier’s victories.
To gird yourself up with the belt, is to be combat ready.
You have your uniform in place, there are no loose or hanging parts and everything is securely in place.
So when Paul says that God’s truth is like a belt, he is saying truth is foundational to your life.
The believer is ready, dressed, and alert.
He is quickened in his character and able to fend off false doctrine and heresy.
And quite sadly, most Christians never even get their belt on.
Now we are all born liars.
Lying and deceit is the work of Satan.
Jesus said that Satan is the father of all lies (John 8:44), and Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that the human heart is deceitful and wicked.
The truth of God is the stabilizing and securing harness that holds our entire lives together.
Even if things around us, our jobs, our health, our families, our community, seem to be falling apart, God’s Word is the sure foundation that keep us securely in his hand.
Putting on the belt of truth is a transformative and foundational part of the believer’s salvation.
The fact of the matter is we cannot receive God’s forgiveness and salvation until we see our hearts and lives against the light of God’s truth.
We recognize the desperate vulnerability apart from Him.
The world for truth is althelia means: “the quality of being in accord with what is true, truthfulness, dependability, uprightness in thought and deed” and can be translated ‘truth’ or ‘truthfulness.’
‘Truth’ being the content of truth as opposed to falsehood as defined by the Word of God.
‘Truthfulness’ is an attitude of sincerity, honesty, integrity, or commitment.
Lying is the way you hide something that is wrong in your life or in the world around you.
It is a means to avoid the consequences of your actions.
Truthfulness is the revelation of God that is unchanging, unwavering, and the anchor for the soul.
Now add to that the fact that we now live in a world that has rejected the existence of absolute truth and we find ourselves in a desperate situation apart from God.
This world is more fake and counterfeit than any other time in all of history.
We immerse ourselves into false or imitation realities.
Truth is even censored to protect the lies.
No one tells the truth, the media, politicians, teachers, governments, health care, scientists, it is the foundation of our world.
And false teachers are everywhere in the church.
Believers must know the truth - God’s truth.
Look at how Paul introduces the doctrine of the Inerrancy of Scripture to Timothy:
It is alarming the number of denominations, churches, and pastors that are now rejecting this doctrine to assuage and indulge the doctrine of demons in our culture.
Paul tells us that we should never be content with mediocrity, but pursue truthfulness in all areas of our culture and especially our lives.
When we abandon the truth of God, we become disillusioned, ignorant, and deceived.
We will be led astray by false doctrines and given into deceptions of Satan.
“The Church is the conscious of the State.”
Bonhoeffer
In the last few years of our country, we have been exposed to level of deception that most of us probably never knew could exist.
Most of the intellectual elite in our country completely disavow the idea of absolute truth.
It is only going to get worse.
This is how a Supreme Court Justice can say with a straight face she’s unable to define what a woman is at her confirmation hearing.
Truth has become a matter of offense in relegating answer that supports mob rule.
However, truth, by definition excludes, because it exposes the lie for what it is.
Truth doesn’t destroy, it reveals and in the revelation, the truth is enthroned.
For the lie cannot exist in the presence of truth and will seek to destroy the truth to protect the lie.
This is the heart behind cancel culture.
Now as Christians, we know the truth.
We believe and know that there is a such a thing as absolute truth because it is revealed on the pages of Scripture.
So we are to be people of the truth and as people of the truth we are embattled against the litany of lies that pervade our culture.
The church was given the truth and entrusted with the truth to uphold it as a pillar in our culture.
No wonder so many hate the church and our attempts to uphold the standard of truth through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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