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The Whole Armour of God Part 3 - The Breastplate of Righteousness

 

Today as we put on “The Whole Armour of God,” we are focusing on the “Breast Plate of Righteousness”.

Before we start, please take a few minutes and re-read Ephesians 6:10-18. 

As we think about spiritual warfare and the whole armour of God, it is evident that there is a battle happening. When we break that battle down to its core, it is about living in obedience to Jesus. That battle occurs daily in our hearts and minds as we decide to obey Jesus, decision by decision. To win the battle means to obey Jesus. To lose the battle means to disregard the commands of Jesus.

There are several pitfalls to avoid in our daily battle for obedience, such as thinking that people are the enemy. Paul makes it clear that our battle is not against flesh and blood.  We can also make the mistake of believing the battle is somewhere “out there” instead of recognising that the frontlines in spiritual warfare are in our hearts and mind. One of the most common pitfalls is viewing the battle as overly dramatic. The reality of spiritual warfare is that the battle is won or lost in the decision we make every day.

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THE REALITY OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE IS THAT THE BATTLE IS WON OR LOST IN THE DECISIONS WE MAKE EVERY DAY.

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The goal of our enemy, Satan, is to hide the knowledge of God, and he has many schemes he employs to do that. The schemes of Satan are mainly about leading us away from obedience through distraction or temptation and getting people to curse God.

   The first piece of the Armour of God, the Belt of Truth, is the part upon which the rest of the armour rests. It is essential to tell the truth, live it, and speak it as we face our daily battles, but the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the foundational truth upon which the rest of the armour is held together.

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THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS PROTECTS YOU, BUT YOU MUST PUT IT ON.

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The Breastplate of Righteousness is a defensive piece of armour with both active and passive properties. It protects us, but at the same time, we actively “put it on” through righteous thoughts, decisions and behaviour. As a piece of armour, a breastplate covers the chest, protecting the most vital organ in your body, your heart.

Righteousness is the Quality of being morally right or justifiable. The Breast Plate of Righteousness protects your heart as you practise being morally right and justifiable.

There are two different ways we might recognise righteousness in this context. One is righteousness before God. The other is righteousness before people. The only way to be made righteous before God is through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not by what we do but by what Christ has done for us in His sacrifice on the cross. There are protective qualities in the knowledge of what Christ has done for us. We know that our acceptance by God doesn’t rely on our behaviour. There is a protective assurance and peace in that knowledge.

As Christians, we draw our identity from the fact that we are sinful and separated from God, but also that God loved us enough to send His Son, Jesus, to pay the price for our redemption. Resting in the knowledge of the Gospel protects us from thinking too much or too little of ourselves. We put on the breastplate of righteousness as we choose each day to live in obedience to Christ. The breastplate of righteousness controls what gets into our hearts. If we remove it through disobedience, we remove the protection that comes with it.

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BELIEVING THE GOSPEL MAKES US RIGHT WITH GOD, BUT NOT NECESSARILY WITH OTHER PEOPLE.

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Trusting Jesus makes us righteous before God but doesn't automatically make us righteous before people. To be considered morally right and justifiable before people requires that we discipline ourselves to live in obedience to Christ.  The Bible clearly states that practising righteousness before people is not about self-righteousness but living a righteous life in obedience to Jesus.

Does it matter if I live a righteous life?

People who don’t like Christians or Christianity are often that way because of a negative experience. That experience likely had something to do with a Christian not living in obedience to Christ. Living righteously before people does matter. If we say we are Christians but don’t live in obedience to Christ, one, we are lying, and two, we can inadvertently be used by the enemy to lead people away from the knowledge of God.  Our hypocrisy can be the reason someone curses God or laughs at God.

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THE BIBLE CLEARLY STATES THAT PRACTISING RIGHTEOUSNESS BEFORE PEOPLE IS NOT ABOUT SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS, BUT LIVING A RIGHTEOUS LIFE IN OBEDIENCE TO JESUS.

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How we live and interact with our community matters, and living unrighteously will help the enemy hide the knowledge of God. The battle is first in our own hearts and minds and then for the hearts and minds of the people in our community. Both righteousness before God and other people is found in Jesus. Trusting Christ makes us righteous before God, and living in obedience to Christ makes us righteous before men.

 

TAKE ACTION:

* Read one Chapter from the book of Ephesians each day and reflect on the importance of obedience to Jesus.

* Think about the common pitfalls Christians tend to fall into in spiritual warfare. Where have you viewed other people as the enemy? When have you seen the battle elsewhere other than in your life and your daily decisions?

* Remember that trusting Jesus makes us righteous before God, but obeying Christ makes us righteous before people. Write down some ways you might better honour God in your life.

* Remember that each action point is about helping us win the daily battle in our hearts and minds. The battle for the hearts and minds of the people in our community is first won through our own obedience to Christ.

 

 

If you have any questions, message me on social media or email them to me @pastorchrismiller@hinterlandbaptist.com, and I will answer them in a blog post or future podcast.

 

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