Breastplate Of Righteousness Series

BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Years ago Los Angeles motorcycle police officer Bob Vernon saw a red pickup truck speed through a stop sign. This guy must be late to work, he thought to himself. He turned on his lights and radioed that he was in pursuit. The pickup pulled over, and the officer approached. Meanwhile in the truck, the driver thought, “the cops already know!” He was scared. He rested his hand on the same gun he had used a few moments before to rob a twenty-four-hour market. The sack of stolen money was beside him on the seat. The officer said, 'Good morning, sir, may I see your --' He never finished the sentence. The driver shoved his gun toward the policeman's chest and fired from just inches away. The cop was knocked flat on his back but a few seconds later, to the shock of the criminal, the officer stood up, pulled his service revolver, and fired twice. What saved the policeman's life was a choice. He had decided that day to put on his bulletproof vest. The dozens of layers of Kevlar only three-eighths of an inch thick can stop bullets cold.

Today we are continuing in our series The Armour of God. In Ephesians 6, the Bible instructs every Christian to put on the full armor of God. Simple qualities like righteousness and faith can deflect what the enemy of souls may fire at us.

Eph 6:13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place

In today’s terminology the breastplate of righteousness is the bulletproof vest. It protects the heart and the vital organs from damage. It is through righteousness that our hearts are protected from the devil’s attacks against us. We have been declared righteous through Christ (Justification) and we are all in the process of becoming righteous (Sanctification). This is a lifelong process which has many victories and failures. While we have been declared righteous it is important that we actively seek to be righteous in our day to day lives. In the scriptures this is called guarding our hearts:

Prov 4:18 The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. 19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. 20 My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. 21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body. 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. 24 Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. 26 Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. 27 Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

So how do you guard your heart? How do you keep yourself from coming under the influence and control of the devil?

1 John 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense -- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

1. Plan A – do not sin

What is God’s ideal for us? It is that we do not sin. That is every parents ideal for their children. We want them to from our mistakes. You do not have to touch a hot stove to know that you should not touch it. You can learn it from someone else. This is the best way to learn.

Back in seminary I remember sitting in church with a guy watching a baptism. The person being baptized was sharing their testimony. They had been saved out of a very difficult life. At one point the guy sitting beside me glibly said, “man, I wish I had a testimony like that.” I looked at him and said “no, you don’t.” He thought about it for a minute and then said, “your right. No, I don’t…” God’s plan A for us is that we do not sin. That we learn from the examples of others.

Phil 3:17 Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.

Paul says here to “follow my example.” He says he was acting as a model. The word MODEL means a smaller representation of the real thing. Kids build model cars and model planes. They are smaller representation of the real thing. The word “Christian” means – a little Christ. It is a smaller representation of the real thing.