BELT OF TRUTH
Major William Martin never knew the great contribution that he made during the Second World War, especially to the allied success in Italy. He was a British officer who died and was buried on the southern coast of Spain. He never fired a single shot. William Martin died of pneumonia in the foggy dampness of England before he ever saw the battle front. The Allies had invaded North Africa. The next logical step was Sicily. Knowing the Germans calculated this, the Allies determined to outfox them. One dark night, an Allied submarine came to the surface just off the coast of Spain and put Martin's body out to sea in a rubber raft with an oar. In his pocket were secret documents indicating the Allied forces would strike next in Greece and Sardinia. Major Martin's body washed ashore, and Axis intelligence operatives soon found him, thinking he had crashed at sea. They passed the secret documents through Axis hands all the way to Hitler's headquarters. So while Allied forces moved toward Sicily, thousands and thousands of German troops moved on to Greece and Sardinia--where the battle wasn't. Satan works with more cunning than even the Allied plan, getting us to fight many temptations in places where the real battle isn't. To stand against him we need to know his plans and be ready to fight him.
Eph 6:10 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, with the breastplate of righteousness in place
This passage says that we are to tie up all the loose ends of our lives and hold it in place with a belt of truth. In battle the belt was used to hold the flowing garments of the day. In today’s military terminology the belt of truth would be a holster – it holds your essentials in place.
1 Pet 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Truth is the way we fight against error. The first step to resisting the father of lies is to base your life on the truth which is found in the word of God. The foundation of your life must be solid or you are in trouble from the beginning. Knowing who and what you are in Jesus Christ is the first step. E.g. alcoholic - admitting that you have a problem is the first step.
The way to destroy a lie is with the truth. Satan seeks to oppose this by making truth relative or by mixing truth into every lie. Subjective truth means that something can be true for me but not true for you. Truth becomes something irrelevant. In other words it doesn’t really matter what you believe, as long as you believe in something.
Objective truth means that truth is truth no matter what else you might think. What is true is true for everyone. Truth is truth whether you believe it or not. It means that 1 plus 1 will always equal 2. At the trial of Jesus Pilate asked Jesus “what is truth”, and it is a good question. What is truth? The dictionary says that truth is that which is fact, reality, accurate or genuine. The word for truth used is the Greek word ALETHEIA which comes from A (not) and LANTHANO (hidden, secret or ignorant). In other words, truth means that which has been revealed. Ultimately, truth is only found in God.
Our human reasoning alone isn't enough to discern truth from error. The best protection against deception is to know God's revealed truth, the Bible. -- Ruth E. Van Reken
A simple layman armed with Scripture is to be believed above a pope or a cardinal without it. -- Martin Luther
John 8:43 Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? 47 He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." 48 The Jews answered him, "Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?" 49 "I am not possessed by a demon," said Jesus, "but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death." 52 At this the Jews exclaimed, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?" 54 Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." 57 "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!" 58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
What was the truth that Jesus spoke. He said:
1. I speak for God (vs. 43-47) – His source
When was the last time someone said to you “I heard from a reliable source that …” and you knew it could not be true. How often people claim to have the whole story when all they are is their own personal opinion.
Two farmers were chatting in front of the bank. "I hear you made $60,000 in alfalfa," said the first. Not wishing to be impolite his friend replied, "Well, that isn't quite right. It wasn't me, it was my brother, it wasn't alfalfa, but oats; not $60,000 but $6,000; and he didn't make it, he lost it."
When Jesus walked the earth He would often say “I tell you the truth…” or “truly I say to you…” This means that what He was about to say was reliable and accurate. He was able to do this because He had a direct line to God the Father.
Matt 7:28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
The soundest reasoning leads to wrong conclusions when the premises are false. -- Vilhjalmur Stefansson
In this passage the people would not listen to Jesus because they claimed His source was the devil. In fact it was the people who had been deceived. The words of Jesus did not make sense to them so they rejected it. The same has been happening until today.
2. I am the way to God (vs. 49-51) – His mission
Jesus went on to say that not only was He speaking for God but that He was in fact the way to God. He said that anyone who kept His word, would never see death. He was not just speaking as a Prophet but as the Messiah – the savior. Jesus claimed that He was the only way to God.
Coming home from work, a woman stopped at the corner deli to buy a chicken for supper. The butcher reached into a barrel, grabbed the last chicken he had, flung it on the scales behind the counter, and told the woman its weight. She thought for a moment. "I really need a bit more chicken than that," she said. "Do you have any larger ones?" Without a word, the butcher put the chicken back into the barrel, groped around as though finding another, pulled the same chicken out, and placed it on the scales. "This chicken weighs one pound more," he announced. The woman pondered her options and then said, "Okay. I'll take them both." Never make promises you can’t deliver – and in salvation only Jesus is able to deliver.
3. I am God (vs. 54-58) – His nature
Jesus went even further to say that not only did He speak for God and not only was He pointing the way to God but that He WAS God incarnate. Jesus says that even before Abraham existed that He was alive. He uses the name given by God to identify himself to Moses in Exodus:
Ex 3:14 God said to Moses, " I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: `I AM has sent me to you.'"
The key to a victorious life begins with a correct understanding of who Jesus is and what he has done. This is the starting point. What you do with Jesus Christ is the most important decision you will ever make in life. You can accept His claims or reject them s the crowds did that day.
Hat is the anchor of your life? Don’t be like the ship Marine Electric, which sank off the coast of Virginia early in 1983, costing the lives of thirty-one sailors. The reason was this: the ship's eight-ton anchor came loose and battered the hull of the ship until the ship went down. The vessel was destroyed by its own anchor. If wealth is your anchor, it may destroy you. Our hope in Christ is the only unfailing anchor for the soul.
Several years ago the Sunshine Skyway which stretches across Tampa Bay in Florida was hit by a ship in heavy fog. A section of the bridge collapsed into the bay. One driver saw through the fog that the bridge was out and was able to stop his car in time. He ran back down the road waving his arms as a bus drove by, thinking he was crazy, and drove off the bridge.
