The Breastplate Of Righteousness Series

GEARING UP FOR WAR - The Breastplate of Righteousness

September 18, 2022

Ephesians 6:10-14

Introduction:

One of my favorite stories from the book Messy Spirituality goes like this…Mike Yaconelli writes:

When my children were young, track meets filled part of each week during the spring. One particularly hot spring day, I attended a junior high track meet, arriving in the middle of the boys’ 1500 meter race. During the last lap of the race, the audience stood, cheering two boys running side-by-side for the final fifty meters. A short distance behind them ran a pack of about four or five boys jockeying for third place. The crowd broke into applause for the first and second place finishers, and then crescendo as the pack fought for third place.

Another runner suddenly caught my attention. As I looked down the track, I saw one boy lagging far behind. Poor kid. The portly seventh grader struggled for each breath, his face red and sweaty, the main artery in his neck bulging and throbbing to supply oxygen to his deprived muscles. Suddenly the woman to my left stepped over me and rushed down to the railing overlooking the track - obviously the boy’s mother.

She screamed, “Johnny, run faster!”

I wish you could have seen the incredulous look on the boy’s face. He had to be thinking, Mom! I’m running as fast as I can!

Spiritual growth does not happen by running faster.

What keeps many of us from growing is not sin but speed.

Most of us are like Johnny. We are going as fast as we can, living life at a dizzying speed, and God is nowhere to be found. We’re not rejecting God; we just don’t have time for him. We’ve lost him in the blurred landscape as we rush to church. We don’t struggle with the Bible, but with the clock. It’s not that we’re too decadent; we’re too busy. We don’t feel guilty because of sin, but because we have no time for our spouses, our children, or our God. It’s not sinning too much that’s killing our souls, it’s our schedule that’s annihilating us. Most of us don’t come home at night staggering drunk. Instead, we come home staggering tired, worn out, exhausted, and drained because we live too fast.

Speed is not neutral. Fast living used to mean a life of debauchery; now it just means fast, but the consequences are even more serious. Speeding through life endangers our relationships and our souls.

Satan would like for us to believe that righteousness can be attained if we “just ran faster!”

It’s one of the greatest weapons he uses as he schemes and attacks Christians.

Here’s what I mean…

The only way any of us can be righteous is through the actions of Christ and not in ours…I've GOT SOME GOOD NEWS AND SOME BAD NEWS....

I. HERE’S THE BAD NEWS

Here’s what the Apostle Paul writes concerning our righteousness…whether we’ve been Jews under the law of God…or Gentiles who have never heard of it…

ROMANS 3:9-20

4 times Paul uses the word “stand” in our text from Ephesians 6…“take your stand”…“stand”…“stand your ground”…“stand firm.”

These are imperative, urgent commands…God’s people are to be on guard…to be alert…standing firm as the evil one attacks.

We are to realize that our battle isn’t against other people, “flesh and blood,” but against the dark forces of Satan and his army.

It’s why we put on the belt of truth first. He’s a liar. Our foundation is in the teachings of our commander…“Everything He has commanded us.” In fact Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:7)

He is the only one who deserves to be called “Righteous.” He is the only one who has never broken the laws of God.

The bad news is… “We’ve all sinned and fallen short of His righteousness.” “Not one person is righteous…no not one…left on our own Jesus said this about our hearts…“From within, out of people’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from the inside and defile a person.” (Mark 7:21-23)

No law can change the human heart. Some might be afraid of the consequences but it still doesn’t change what’s there…Maybe you hate someone enough you’d like to kill them…but you don’t want to go to prison…so you don’t …but the hate’s still there…as well as the desire.

The Breastplate of Righteousness attaches to the Belt of Truth…it covers all the vital organs…especially the soldier’s heart.

SHOW PIC OF SOLDIER’S BREASTPLATE

Remember…this is the armor of God we’re told to put on…not ours…Remember this is the Breastplate of Christ’s righteousness…not ours.

Any righteousness outside of Christ’s righteousness is like using a filthy rag to cover your heart and hoping Satan’s arrows won’t pierce it.