Armor of God: Breastplate

Armor of God: The Breastplate of Righteousness

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Ephesians 6:10-13 (NLT)

Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth… Ephesians 6:14a (NLT)

If we are going to be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ we must in the truth! We must apply truth to our lives! How do our lives line up with God’s word?

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle, you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. Ephesians 6:13-14 (NLT)

You have authority because you have Jesus! It is not a passive act, it is the most powerful relationship in existence. The power of God lives inside you!

God’s Power Lives In You!

You don’t have to TAKE authority when AUTHORITY already lives in you!

How do we put on the breastplate of God’s body armor?

Righteousness: a right-standing with God.

Let’s talk about three types of righteousness:

1. Righteousness

Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14 (NLT)

If we truly believe that our entrance into heaven is secured by our good deeds we are !

“No one is righteous-not even one…” Romans 3:10 (NLT)

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23 (NLT)

1. Righteousness

Theologians also refer to this as imputed righteousness.

This refers to what God does for us at the moment of

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. Philippians 3:8-9 (NLT)

 

Good deeds may come out of devotion, but good deeds do not equal to God.

A huge word for us: JUSTIFICATION A judicial word that describes the judge’s decision
That God declares us righteous…not based on our actions…but on His!

 

Justification is a theological term to describe what God does for you and me the moment we put our trust in God.

 

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT)

In effect, what Paul is saying, only Christ offers deliverance from sin and Satan. We can only make it to heaven because of Christ and God declares me forgiven and free

1. The of Righteousness

Pursued righteousness is the desire to live a holy life. It’s the determination to get a little closer to God daily. It’s the mindset that says, “I haven’t arrived, but I’m taking one step closer every day to become a little bit more like Jesus.”

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 4:13 (NLT)

Our final $100 word: SANCTIFICATION Sanctification means to be set apart from this world and unto God. Understanding that we aren’t called to live the way the rest of the world lives. We are set apart from that…we are living for God!

But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. Romans 6:22 (NLT)

 

(pic of Roman breast piece)

The breastplate covered 2 vital areas:

1) heart

2) viscera–what the Jewish people referred to as “the bowels”

In Hebrew culture, the heart represented the mind/thinking.

The bowels represented the emotions…because of how emotions affect how our organs feel.

The mind and the emotions encompass everything about a person!

-Control how we think

-Determines how we will feel

-How we will act /respond

The core of our being, where all our important decisions are based…the breastplate covers in spiritual warfare!

This armor demonstrates the importance of keeping our hearts pure! We must live HOLY!

The Breastplate of Righteousness = PURITY!

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 (NLT)

How do we live pure in a contaminated world?

We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NLT)

We must guard our hearts by choosing what we allow into our minds!

We must get rid of unhealthy mindsets and unhealthy inputs:

Media: negative inputs…loss of empathy

Money: distracted and divisive focus…endless

Problems: addicted to pain…victimization

We replace these things with the word of God and godly things…read, meditate, and pray the word!

We must rely on the Holy Spirit for wisdom, biblical revelation, and strength to resist temptation.

The Holy Spirit will help us live Holy!