Guarded by Truth
Ephesians 6:10-14 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 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….
Intro: A couple of weeks ago we began to examine this famous section of Paul’s writing where he describes the kind of armor a follower of Jesus will need to stand against the enemy. After challenging his readers to be the best they can be as a husband, wife, parent, child, employee or worker, employer or boss, Paul tells them not to do it alone, but to be strong in the Lord! He reminds them that they have an enemy who is actively scheming against them, trying to deceive them, discourage them, and derail them. He tells them (and us) to stand their ground. Don’t give an inch of what God has done in your life! Stand firm, and put on all of the armor God has provided for you.
-Perhaps it’s worth remembering where Paul is as he writes this letter.
He’s in prison, chained to a Roman guard 24 hours a day!
And as the Holy Spirit moves upon him to write these letters, the picture of the Roman Solider is right before him. He notices the belt, the breastplate, the sandals, the shield, the helmet, the sword… and he paints a word picture that most people in that day would be quite familiar with. After hearing Paul’s letter, every time they saw a Roman soldier, they would remember to arm themselves with truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, God’s word, and prayer. How cool!
-My plan is to camp a little on each of these important pieces of armor and what they represent. Today I’d like to spend some time on the first one – the belt of truth.
-Someone said, “Truth is such a rare thing, it is a delight to tell it.” Of course, Paul has already mentioned truth in this letter. In Ephesians 4:15 he says we should speak the truth in love. Ephesians 4:25 “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” So what is he getting at when he says to strap on the belt of truth? Is it a call to honesty? I think so, but perhaps there’s a bit more to it. Truth is the purest form of reality. Truth is how things really are, apart from any personal agenda. Truth is both objective and personal. It stands alone, but when embraced becomes the strongest of forces in a person’s life. Truth can be transformational when unveiled and embraced. So let’s take a few minutes looking at the belt of truth that a follower of Jesus should wear at all times.
1. The Belt of Truth provides protection.
-It is designed to protect a person from low blows. Our enemy is adept at giving low blows. Satan’s greatest weapon is deception. He is even called the father of lies. If he can get you to believe contrary to what God has revealed as truth, then he has you right where he wants you – immobilized by lies.
2. The Belt of Truth helps you to be battle ready!
-It keeps everything in place. If a soldier’s armor is loose and flopping around, he will not be as effective or confident in combat. Apparently a soldier would loosen his belt when he was relaxing and off duty, but would tighten it up when he needed to be ready for action. Spiritually speaking, we should never take time off from the truth. We must always be in a state of readiness.
-Belts were used in Bible times to secure loose garments so that a person could run and/or fight effectively. The belts also provided a place to attach weapons. When the enemy attacks us we may have to move quickly and use our spiritual weapons (Praise, Prayer, Sword of the Spirit, etc.) "on the run." The belt of truth enables us to move quickly and confidently without tripping into lies or losing our weapons.
-Loose armor would have been troublesome and disturbing, making the soldier feel soft, and awkward, and unready, giving him a sense of falling apart or being out of control.
The belt bound everything together giving the soldier a sense of firmness, making him feel secure, and able to meet the enemy’s attack with confidence. There was security in the belt. The belt helps make a soldier ready for battle.
3. The Belt of Truth gives you a place to hang your sword
-The sword (the word of God) goes with the belt – it hangs on the truth, it is true. We will be covering the sword of the Spirit another time, but I must mention it now because it is our source of truth.
John 8:31-32 "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." Where do we find the teachings of Jesus? In the Bible, God’s word.
-I find at least 3 proper responses to truth.
• Know the Truth – Truth is found in knowing the One who is the Truth (John 14:6). We can get to know Jesus through the Bible, esp. the gospels. But this is more than just learning about Him. It is responding to His words, responding to reality!
• Live the Truth – Truth as a concept alone is not enough. It is like potential energy. It is there and it is real, but until it is put into action, it does not do any good. You can admire it and talk about it all you want, but it must be activated through obedience.
• Tell the Truth – While God has certainly called us all to be honest, Jesus made it very clear to His followers that other people needed to hear the truth about Him. Before He left His disciples to return to His Father in heaven, Jesus told them to spread the truth about Him all over. Matthew 28:19-20 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
-Wearing the Belt of Truth reveals the Truth about who I am daily – I am a sinner in need of Christ grace and forgiveness everyday. The Word as Truth reminds you who you are. A Sinner saved by Grace.
-Wearing the Belt of Truth reveals the Truth about God – He is the Triune God. God the Father loves the world so much He sent His only begotten Son. God the Son, the Second person of the Trinity clothed Himself in human flesh, died for the sins of humanity, rose again, ascended to Heaven to the right hand of the Father and is coming back again. By Faith in Christ we have eternal life. He did not leave us alone but sent God the Holy Spirit to lead us and teach us and it is He who gives eternal life to sinners enabling them to believe upon Jesus.
-We need to focus on the Truth and not untruth or even trivial theology. The Truth is essential to our spiritual warfare. The Truth gives us stability in our spiritual lives. If we compromise essential truth we cast away a crucial part of our armor and allow Satan to hit us with his lies. Let us put on Truth! Let us be faithful to it, even if we are the only one believing it. The Belt ultimately represents Jesus as the TRUTH (John 14:6) Jesus is the source of all truth. Jesus is the Word of God in the flesh.
-We need to spend some time reminding ourselves, in prayer, of the Truth as given in God’s Word about the following five areas. If we will do this, many of Satan’s attacks can be thwarted.
1. The Truth about my sin. (All have sinned…)
2. The Truth about God. (God so loved the world…)
3. The Truth about my identity in Christ. (Created in His image…)
4. The Truth about the power of God available to me. (His power is at work within us)
5. The Truth about the effectiveness of prayer. (Prayer avails much)
-The belt of truth prepares us to be ready for action. It helps us keep other things out of the way while fighting. The call to have "your loins girt about with truth" is a call to be prepared. Christians always need to be ready to defend themselves against the powers of darkness and not be caught unaware.
-We can be prepared in every circumstance, by making certain that we are people of truth. This includes--
• Knowing the good news about Jesus and why you believe in Him.
• Living as a person of integrity--as someone who is honest and trustworthy. Live so that others can see Jesus in you.
-Live such godly lives...that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God... 1 Peter 2:12.
-Soldiers were able to go into battle with their garments tied up so they would not trip up and be captured by the enemy. Our battle is not against flesh and blood but we have a real enemy who wants to trip us up and trap us in all kinds of sin. By allowing God’s truth to permeate us on the inside, we too will be prepared and avoid the pitfalls of the enemy.
Conclusion: Let me bring you back to 3 responses to truth: know it, live it, and tell it. How are you doing with those? Would you be willing to make a commitment between you and the Lord to seek to know Him more? Seek to know His truth by reading the Bible and becoming a learner- a student of the Bible. Will you make a commitment with God’s help to live truly and worship Him in truth? How about telling others the truth about God? The truth hurts, but lies can kill! Will you ask God to help you tell others the truth about Him in love? He promised to be with us always, and He will help us be and do all that He asks of us. Be strong in Him and in His mighty power! Guard yourself with the truth so you don’t lose any of the ground you’ve gained as a follower of Jesus.
[Portions of this sermon adapted from sermoncentral.com, Ephesians 6.]
