2009 Spiritual Warfare Series, Part 4
Ephesians 6:14
The Breastplate of Righteousness
I
have always been a highly motivated goal oriented person.
A) I have always enjoyed it when
someone sets a standard or a target to shoot at or to try and reach.
B) 10 out of 10 Free throws
Straight As 300 BA Stock that shelf by 8pm
C) But in my walk with the
Lord there has been a certain degree of frustration because I constantly fall
short of the standard.
D) i.e. Love your wife as Christ loved the Church!
1) Now I love my wife a lot
but I know my love falls way short of Christ love
E) I am selfish and struggle
with putting the needs of my wife above my own
Or
Forgive as you have been forgiven- No strings -
- complete Someone wrongs me forgive one day Ill feelings the next - Hard
to trust
Let your speech
be with grace seasoned with salt
My speech sometimes filled
with Anger or frustration
I could
go on and on illustrating how I fall short of the standard because the
standard is Christ!
A) Consequently I can get
really frustrated in the Christian life.
B) I am sure that all of you
have wrestled with similar frustrations in your walk toward failings in your
marriage
1) In the realm of
forgiveness or in your dealings with others.
C) Satan is great at
bringing thoughts of CONDEMNATION over such
feelings or failings.
D) One of his major strategies
is to bring feelings of condemnation, guilt and discouragement when we fail.
{Feel inadequate
1) He would love nothing
more than to see us just give up in the Race or lay down in the fight.
But God has equipped us with
a piece of Spiritual Armor specifically designed to combat the CONDEMNATION
DISCOURAGEMENT & ACCUSATIONS of the enemy.
A) That piece of Armor is
our focus Tonight we are talking about the Breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS
Concerning this Armor we
noted there are
2
DIVISIONS - HAVING & TAKING
1st 3 - he says "having
girded waist w/ truth; having put on the breastplate
of Righteousness, having shod feet w/ ..."
B) By
using the word "having" puts this in the past tense - when
did this happen?
1) The moment you received Christ!
C) So
The first 3
pieces of armor deal w/ who you are in Christ. Your position IN CHRIST
D)
The 2nd 3 aspect of the Armor the Shield of Faith the helmet of
salvation and the sword of the Spirit
1)
Are about appropriating what the first three pieces represent -
E)
Paul caps it off with the exhortation action Praying always
Last
time looked at the First piece Belt of Truth its PURPOSE and what it
represents:
A) Purpose gird up / make
ready unencumbered / freedom of movement.
B) WHAT IS
REPRESENTED: Put Simply it is THE TRUTH
concerning who Jesus is & What He has DONE for us & Who we are
in Him!
TONIGHT
WE ARE GOING TO LOOK AT THE 2ND PIECE OF OUR ARMOR - BREASTPLATE OF
RIGHTEOUSNESS
A) The Breastplate of the
Roman Soldier consisted of 2 parts of layered metal scales that was fastened
upon leather.
B) One that covered the
front & the other the back
C) Now Some Bible
teachers say that we have to always be moving forward because there is no armor
that covers the back side
D) Now although it is true
that the Lord wants us to always be moving forward in our walks
E) The truth of the Matter
is that the Lord has left us fully Protected on all sides the Breastplate
covered the front & the Back.
1)
Protected even from Surprise attacks
The
Key thing about the Breastplate is it covered the VITAL organs in fact in
Roman times it was called the HEART GUARD!!!
A)
That the area of the Chest that covered that area of the VITAL organs the Heart
Lungs / intestines / abdomen /
B)
Area was known as the Center of the emotions / OR THE
SEAT OF AFFECTIONS
1) {Areas where stress / stomach pains felt
Now
this is significant as it relates to the
Interesting that the
First and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your
heart, soul, mind, and strength.
A) It is those very areas of
our lives that these aspects of the Armor are meant to guard.
B) The Belt of truth protects the mind
and it is about applying the truth of the word of God to our lives.
1)
Knowing truth and using truth to combat the doubts that the enemy throws into
our minds
C)
The Shoes of peace are designed to cover the soul the Conscience that
area where the devil is always trying to bring Chaos & disorder
1) Feelings of uneasy or
fearful - Soul is covered by the peace of God
D)
The Shield of faith protects our strength!
1) The enemy tries to rob us
of our strength by filling us with fear.
E) But the breastplate of Righteousness is meant to guard our
heart our emotions - - the core of our being
1)
Satan constantly tries to weigh down through his accusations and condemning
The
Lord has made us as people w/ feelings & emotions
A) It is a wonderful part of
our fellowship & relationship to the Lord
B) But the enemy will seek
to use the very same things that God meant to be a Blessing
1)
He seeks to use it to bring defeat & Discouragement especially thru
failure.
Another important thing to note the Breastplate was also
attached to the Belt
A)
that is very significant as it relates to the Righteousness that the
Breastplate speaks of
B) It is CONNECTED TO & FOUND IN - the TRUTH concerning
1) WHO JESUS IS
& WHAT HE HAS DONE /
2) WHO WE ARE IN
HIM
C) So what is the
Righteousness the breastplate speaks of?
D)) The Bible speaks of 3 kinds of RIGHTEOUSNESS / 1) Self Righteousness -
Which is one of the worst kinds
E)
Focus my deeds goodness etc Get to heaven /favor with God by my good works
1) Pharisees/
results in Judgmental & legalistic
The
Bible says that our Righteousness is like filthy rags.
A) Tuxedo that gets sprayed by a SKUNK best thing you can
do is to burn it!!!!!
So
what is this Breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS?
A) The Bible speaks of
righteousness that is imputed to all who
believe.
B) Paul declares that there is a righteousness of God APART
FROM THE LAW -
C) There is a Law is RIGHTEOUS in the law the law was perfect
-
1) Problem is we cant follow it
So
the Law Condemns us Righteous standard that we couldnt live up to
But there is a Righteousness of God that is apart from the
Law.
A) It is the Righteousness
of Christ that is Imputed or Transferred when believe in Jesus
Paul
put it this way in
Key
is in that last Phrase IN HIM
Speaks
of our POSITION IN CHRIST
That is the
wonderful byproduct of Christ Righteousness being transferred to us!!!!
Covered & clothed in the
RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST
Father
looks at us He sees us in His Son!!!!
As
a result of this Paul wrote in
Now
it is important that we understand how this Kind of righteousness becomes our
Breastplate, our PROTECTION
A)
This is basically how it works the devil comes along & finds us flat on
our faces in some failure / & he begins to Condemn us!!!
B) He is the accuser of the brethren And
95% of the time his accusations are true not false
1) We are guilty of the
crime
C) So he accuses and
condemns - like how can you call yourself a Christian
blowing it like that
1) Fight w/ your wife Supposed to be Mr. Christian Bob the godly husband - yea right -
D)
Great influence on Kids - why pray / give it up / FAILURE worthless
Now
remember the Breastplate is connected to the belt of truth
A) The truth declares that
we have a advocate with the Father = Defense attorney
B) Pleads our case Charges
are true Guilty
1) But the price has been
paid Sin already judged
C) Rob has been Justified
Declared righteous
D) Zechariah 3 is a great OT
picture of this NT truth
So
that is how this works -When Satan the
accuser of the brethren comes along seeking to condemn us like this / pointing
out our failure
Here is how we
respond that is right / true everything that you are saying is absolutely
right I blew it
But oh how thankful I am
that my Righteousness has nothing to do w/ whether I fail or Succeed
But everything to do w/ the
Fact that Jesus did not fail but He succeeded
He
died for my sin & Rose again & now I am Righteous in HIM - AWESOME
Great
Protection Paul sums it up like this turn Roman 8:
33 Who shall bring a charge against God's elect?
It is God who justifies.
34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who
died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also makes intercession for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are
killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."
37 Yet in all these things we are more than
conquerors through Him who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life,
nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to
come,
nor height nor
depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love
of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
That
is the Protection of Gods truth found of IMPUTED Positional Righteousness
A) Now I want you to think
for a minute the affect that this breastplate would have on the Roman soldier
going out to battle.
B) Confidence knowing that
he was protected front and back.
C) Charge Fulfill his duty
as a Roman Soldier
The
Breastplate of righteousness should affect us in the same way.
A) Confidence to approach
the throne of Grace knowing I am accepted in the beloved
Aa) Confidence to walk with
the Lord -
B) Confidence to Be what God
has saved me to be!
1) Put off the old man put
on the new
C)
No longer presenting myself to unrighteousness
Now
righteousness
D) Partaker of a new nature
respond the HS
Salvation is not merely the Declaration that we are now Righteous
but it is Simultaneously an impartation of the DIVINE nature of God
MLJ puts it this way
The Seed has been put into me, and that seed grows and
develops. This is what is meant by the idea of imparting righteousness. Another term that has sometimes been used
states that the righteousness is infused into me. It is not only put upon me
as a cloak and a covering, but also infused into me. It is comparable to a blood transfusion where
the blood from one person is put into the circulation and the blood of another.
It can be transfused or infused, injected,
MLJ
Paul is teaching
that the gift of the Holy Spirit has given us the ability to live a Righteous life
So
having on the Breastplate of Righteousness is knowing I have been made
Righteous in Christ
A) And that the Lord has
imparted / infused w/ in me the power to live a
Righteous life thru the H.S. living inside of me / as I yield to Him
B)
What would happen to us as individuals what kind of community of believers
would we be if we daily walked in the reality of the Breastplate of
righteousness
C) We
would be free!
1) Free from condemnation
2) Free from performance
3) Free from competition
judging ourselves by others
D)
Free to see each other differently Righteous in Christ {Not going to
be an instrument of Satan to bring down
E) Way more encouraging
-
We
would be confident Protected
A) Approach God prayer /
worship
B) Ever see a girl not so pretty
gets a boyfriend confidence just knowing she is loved
1) Not worried what
everyone is thinking
Confident
- Not afraid of making mistakes
A) Less cautious
B) Using what is in your
bank account
C) God sees me as righteous and
He has provided what I need to walk in righteousness
Try
this week remind yourself each day!
A) Truth Free in Jesus
B) Covered in the
righteousness of Christ
C) See if you dont find yourself being more free and more righteous