The Belt Of Truth Series

The Believers Boot Camp Series

The Armor Explained: The Belt of Truth

Ephesians 6: 13-14a

Illustration: Do you know and love the author?

The story was told about a young college woman who read a book that she found to be extremely boring. Reading each page of the book was cumbersome and difficult. Yet, because reading the book was required for her education, she forced herself to move through its pages and finally finish the book.

A few years later, while working in her field of study, she met a young professor and quickly fell head over heels in love with him and became engaged to be married.

One evening, while visiting her home, he saw the “boring and cumbersome” book tucked away, collecting dust on her book shelf.

Pulling the book from the book shelf, he quickly informed her that he had written the book under an assumed name as was requested by the publisher. Later that night, the young lady picked up the book and began reading it. All night long she sat up and now, to her surprise, the book seemed to be the most interesting book she had ever read. It was not dull at all. She found the book fascinating and intriguing.

What made the difference?

That which made the difference was the fact that now; she knew the author and loved him!

Application:

When we become a Christian something similar occurs in our life. The Bible, which was formerly a book that may have seemed to be boring, cumbersome, or dull becomes and exciting, intriguing, and fascinating book because we now know and love the author.

Scripture tells us that the Bible becomes something we want to put on the inside of us. Like milk to the newborn baby, when we are born again, we find crave the milk of God’s Word.

But in Ephesians 6, scripture tells us that the Bible is also likened unto something we can put on the outside of us. Ephesians 6 says it’s like a belt. Here the Bible is called, “the belt of truth.”

Transition:

As we discuss spiritual warfare, we must see what God wants us to “put on” for spiritual battle.

As we discuss these articles of armor, we read in verse 14, “Stand therefore having girded your waist with truth.

Transitional Sentence: How important is learning from and reading the Bible? Today we will answer this question by understanding:

I. The Bible’s Position

vs. 14- “Stand therefore having girded your waist with truth...”

Explanation

When you become a follower of Christ, you will soon discover that you have made a new enemy; that is, the devil.

With relentless consistency, Satan will bombard any Christian with temptations, trials, and sometimes, persecutions. In short, our enemy declares war on each of us.

Knowing this with military inflection God has prepared us for the battle as He says,“ Put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (vs. 11)

As we dissect verse 11 we heard God say:

a) “Put on”- (enduo)- Is a military “aorist

imperative” command that means to “be endowed” or

“completely endued” Because it is in Aorist Tense,

this tells us that our outfit is not something

that we have to purchase. Instead, it was an

outfit that was bought on the cross and laid out

for you to put on the day you were saved. The

problem today is not that we do not have

the resources to fight the confrontations our

enemy brings our way, the problem is that

we often do not use the resources God has already

given us. For this reason we are

commanded to “put on” the armor of God or to get

dressed for success!

b) “The whole armor”- The word “whole” (panoplia)

means to “not leave off one piece.” Let

me ask you, if you left off one article of your

clothing this morning would you have noticed

it?

Just think if you left off your socks this

morning or shoes. Sure you would, because you

would not be completely dressed.

d) “ Able”- (dunamai)- The explosive power of God.

e) “Stand”-(stenai)- So that you might be able to

stand eye ball to eye ball against the enemy.

(Palastrians).

As we receive this command to “put on” the armor of God, God immediately begins unveiling the wardrobe of armor. Interesting enough, the first article that God points out is “ a belt.... the belt of truth.”

Now, let me ask you a question, in the morning when you rise to get dressed, does your mind immediately and intentionally move to thoughts about “a belt’?

For me, my belt is the “last” article that I put on and sometime I get in a hurry and forget it. Don’t you?