Sermon June 06, 2009
Sermon Series: Spiritual Warfare
Sermon #03: The Breastplate of Righteousness:
Scripture Ref: Ephesians 6:10-18
10: “Finally, my brethern, be strong in the LORD & in the power of HIS might. 11: Put on the whole armor of GOD, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12: For we wrestle not against flesh & blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13: Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of GOD, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, & having done all, to stand. 14: Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with the TRUTH, & having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15: & your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16: Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17: & take the helmet of salvation, & the sword of the SPIRIT, which is the word of GOD: 18: Praying always with all prayer & supplication in the SPIRIT, & perseverance & supplication for all saints.’
Introduction:
How many of you will declare along with me this morning: ‘Greater is HE that is within me, than he that is in the world?’ {I John 4:4} Who is in us? The “GREAT ONE”
In this series on Spiritual Warfare we’re talking about us Defeating the Enemy rather than the Enemy Defeating us. Church --- we’ve COME TOO FAR --- to BE DEFEATED TODAY!
V#12: ‘We wrestle against powers, against principalities, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.’
If we were to stop at verse # 12 it would bring fear into our hearts for what Paul describes there are some very evil forces coming against us.
Strong DEMONIC FORCES are coming against our church & its ministry.
Strong DEMONIC FORCES are coming against our homes & our families & our children..
Strong DEMONIC FORCES are coming against us as an individual & against our soul & against our health & against our finances & against our happiness & against our sound minds & against our sanity.
But we’re not stopping there. Paul goes on to say that we can put on the whole armor of GOD & with that armor we can STAND against the wiles of the devil. Praise the LORD!
So we come to this series on SPIRITUAL WARFARE to remind us that we don’t have to LIE DOWN & TAKE what the DEVIL has to bring us --- but that we can STAND STRONG in the STRENGTH of the LORD --- & FIGHT the ENEMY on his own terms --- & use the SPIRITUAL WEAPONS which the SCRIPTURE teaches us --- are MIGHTY THROUGH GOD to the PULLING DOWN of STRONGHOLDS.
With this armor of GOD upon us we don’t have to live BOUND & DEFEATED LIVES. We don’t have to FALL INTO SIN every time the DEVIL comes & brings TEMPTATION into our lives because we are TOO WEAK to STAND.
With the armor of GOD upon us we can LIVE STRONG & VICTORIOUS LIVES. We don’t have to be WEAK & DISCOURAGED & in DESPAIR & in HOPELESSNESS 3/4th of the time. We don’t have to BE DOWN & all that others can see from us is GLOOM & DOOM & MISERY & DESPAIR.
With the armor of GOD we can STAND STRONG when the DAY of EVIL comes our way --- & when the DAY has PASSED we can STAND & give a TESTIMONY that shares ---- ‘I CAN DO all things through CHRIST which STRENGTHENS me.’
The BREASTPLATE of RIGHTEOUSNESS:
The BREASTPLATE was an important piece of the soldier’s armor. It covered both the front of the body & the back of the body & it protected the most vital organs of the body.
Of course, the most important part of the body the breastplate protected was the heart.
Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
Oh how our enemy would like to strike our heart!
The heart is the center of our emotions.
The heart is the center of our devotions.
The heart is the center of our relationship with GOD.
In Spiritual Warfare there is one part of us in particular the DEVIL sets his site for & that is our HEART. If the DEVIL can get control of our heart --- he can then control our emotions & our devotions. If the DEVIL can get control of our heart he can very quickly destroy our relationship with GOD. There’s a lot of professing CHRISTIANS whose HEART is CONTROLLED by the DEVIL.
‘Above all else guard your heart.’
The Breastplate of Righteousness:
1st we need to understand what “RIGHTEOUSNESS” is:
RIGHTEOUSNESS: means to “Be in a Right Standing with GOD.”
RIGHTEOUSNESS: means to “Be in a Right Relationship with GOD.”
The words to an old hymn:
Nothing between my soul & my savoir
So that HIS blessed face may be seen
Nothing between the least of HIS favor
Keep the way clean, let nothing between.
RIGHTEOUSNESS is expressed in that thought: NOTHING BETWEEN US & GOD.
NOTHING that stands between us & GOD.
How many of you have ever had a friend & there arose some sort of offense between you?
Feelings were hurt & even though you still call them your friend there was an awkwardness there.
There is “something” that hinders that relationship.
RIGHTEOUSNESS is having that experience with GOD where there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that STANDS BETWEEN us & GOD.
RIGHTEOUSNESS is simply ‘MEETING GOD’S REQUIREMENTS.”
RIGHTEOUSNESS is gaining GOD’S STAMP of APPROVAL.
GOD looks at our lives & HE puts HIS STAMP of APPROVAL on them.
RIGHTEOUSNESS is PASSING GOD’S INSPECTION. (not man’s inspection, not your own inspection, not another’s inspection, not a church’s inspection but GOD’S INSPECTION.) IF we cannot PASS it NOW how will we PASS it in the HEREAFTER?
It even goes BEYOND that:
How many of you KNOW that our GOD is a PERFECT & a FLAWLESS & a HOLY GOD?
So in order for GOD to STAMP HIS APPROVAL upon us HE would have to STAMP the word “PERFECT” upon us. & GOD cannot do that.
I can tell by LOOKING AT YOU that you’re NOT PERFECT this morning.
& you can tell by LOOKING AT ME that I’m NOT PERFECT this morning.
In the NATURAL we will NEVER gain PERFECTION. But MEETING GOD’S REQUIREMENTS is the DEFINITION of RIGHTEOUSNESS.
2ndly:
RIGHTEOUSNESS is MERITING GOD’S REWARDS so that we are WORTHY of GOD’S BLESSINGS on our lives.
Now I’ve come to the CONCLUSION that EVERYTHING I have RECEIVED from the LORD has been a BONUS & a BLESSING. They are NOT ANYTHING that I DESERVE.
The DEFINITION of RIGHTEOUSNESS could be FRIGHTENING. Because RIGHTEOUSNESS means that we are MEASURING UP to what GOD wants from a person even though GOD in HIS HOLINESS demands PERFECTION.
The PROBLEM is we do NOT have that RIGHTEOUSNESS.
How many of you WANT to GO to HEAVEN when you die?
How many of you DON’T WANT TO GO to HELL when you die?
We want to BE FORGIVEN of OUR SINS & we want to SPEND ETERNITY with the LORD BUT we have to BE RIGHTEOUS to go to HEAVEN.
& there is a PROBLEM with that for we have a GREAT DEFIENCY of RIGHTEOUSNESS!
We are SINFUL BEINGS!
We were BORN SINNERS because of ADAM & EVE.
But it’s NOT ALL ADAM & EVE’S FAULT.
NO, we have ALL MADE our OWN CHOICES that were AGAINST GOD’S WILL.
We have SINNED our SHARE of SINS! & ALL SIN is WORTHY of DEATH.
Romans 6:23 ‘For the wages of sin is death…’
Romans 3:10 ‘There is none of us RIGHTEOUS, no not one.’
If we would have been in the GARDEN we would have eaten the apple. I know, because we HAVE. We are GUILTY & VOID of RIGHTEOUSNESS.
So WHAT do we DO?
Many people STRIVE for RIGHTEOUSNESS through RELIGIOUS WORKS.
& there are people who are RELIGIOUS but have NEVER truly been SAVED NEVER KNOWN JESUS.
RELIGION is an ATTEMPT by man to REACH UP to GOD & we can NEVER REACH GOD. We could PILE UP all our RELIGIOUS WORKS & we would STILL NOT be NEAR REACHING GOD.
WHY? Because GOD is ABSOLUTELY HOLY & we are ABSOLUTELY SINFUL!
But there is some GOOD NEWS for us this morning! Good News!
We were VOID of RIGHTEOUSNESS but JESUS came & HE made a DEPOSIT of RIGHTEOUSNESS into our ACCOUNT. HE GAVE US what we could NEVER EARN.
Romans 4: 8 “Blessed is the man whom the LORD will not impute sin. Blessed is the one to whom the LORD accredits righteousness.’
The LORD DEPOSITS HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS into our ACCOUNT.
The LORD makes us RIGHTEOUS.
II Corinthians 5:21 ‘For HE hath made HIM to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of GOD.’
We have been made the RIGHTEOUSNESS of GOD in CHRIST JESUS.’
Through the DEATH of a RIGHTEOUS SAVIOR: Oh THANK GOD for CALVARY!
When we come to CHRIST & we CONFESS our SINS & we REPENT of those SINS & we TURN from those SINS not only are we FORGIVEN but we are MADE RIGHTEOUS through the RIGHTEOUS ONE.
JESUS did for us WHAT we could NEVER do for OURSELVES.
‘Rejoice that your names are written down in heaven.’ Luke 10:22
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Now HOW does this RIGHTEOUSNESS become a WEAPON in this WAR against SATAN?
RIGHTEOUSNESS becomes a WEAPON when we PUT ON what we have been given.
Example: We don’t buy an automobile so it can sit in the garage while we walk everywhere we go.
Afraid we’ll put some miles on it. We pay for it so that it can be used to help us.
Some old cars with few miles on them. The owners did not drive much.
If we have the RIGHTEOUSNESS of GOD as a GIFT from GOD then we ought to take that RIGHTEOUSNESS & use it as a WEAPON agsinst SATAN..
LIVE daily the RIGHTEOUSNESS of GOD & let OTHERS SEE GOD in our lives. Greatest weapon against the devil is for people to SEE CHRIST LIVING inside of us.
JESUS said ‘Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works & glorify your FATHER which is in heaven.’
LIVING BEFORE OTHERS WHAT JESUS HAS MADE US:
2 Principles:
1: LIVE as a CHRISTIAN in this world. Don’t BRING a REPROACH AGAINST CHRIST or HIS CHURCH. Best way I know to build a church --- LIVE IT! People are WATCHING us.
LET JESUS SHINE! There’s TOO MUCH BAD ADVERTISING!
LIVE THANKFUL for CALVARY! There’s always a DEBT WE OWE
There ought to be a CONSTANT AWARENESS in front of us of what JESUS has done for us.
2: LIVE to SERVE the LORD & to BUILD the KINGDOM of GOD & HIS CHURCH.
Many professing CHRISTIANS are so SELF CENTERED it is PITIFUL.
‘In the last days people shall become unthankful, unholy,’ Is that you?
WHAT are WE DOING to BUILD the KINGDOM of GOD & HIS CHURCH?
Is our lives all about us 4 & no more? CHURCH will DIE & you will be accountable!
The EASIEST WAY for SATAN to CAPTURE US is for us to MAKE IT EASY for him.
LIVE ONLY FOR YOU!
FORGET about your SERVICE to GOD
The GREATEST PROTECTION against the WILES of the devil is to LIVE WHAT CHRIST has made us. You have been made the RIGHTEOUSNESS of GOD in CHRIST JESUS
