The Belt of Truth

The Breastplate of

RighteousnessSue BohlinOctober 1

Belt of TruthEphesians 6:13-14

• Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (NASB)

• Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place (NIV)

Belt of Truth

• Put on the full armor of God means to clothe yourselves with Christ

• "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 13:14)

Belt of TruthIsaiah 11:1-5

Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;

But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.

Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist.

Isaiah 11:1-5

Breastplate of Righteousness Isaiah 59:17

He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; And He put on garments of vengeance for

clothing And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.

Belt of Truth• A wide belt worn across the lower torso

to protect the loins• From the ribcage to the thighs• Belt essential to soldier

– Held scabbard for sword– Kept tunic in place when he girded his loins– Secured breastplate

Belt of Truth• Truth is a What

– There is such a thing as objective truth!

• Truth is a Who– "I am the way, the truth and the life." --

Jesus, John 14:6

Belt of Truth2 aspects to truth:• Lack of falsehood

– Being consistent with reality• Integrity: truthfulness as character

– We don't lie to ourselves– We don't lie to others– We don't lie to God– We don't lie in word or deed

BELIEVE the truth

LIVE the truth

Belt of Truth• Wrapping truth around us is wearing the

character and nature of Jesus.• To put on the belt of truth means

– Getting and staying grounded in God's word

– “Thy Word is truth,” John 17:17– Putting on the character of Jesus

Belt of Truth“It's imperative that you have a settled conviction

that the Word of God is just that, the God-given, God-breathed, God-protected, and God-preserved Word of God. You must settle in your heart that it is without error and that it contains all you need in order to live righteously before Him. If you are not convinced of these things, then the rest of the armor will be useless.”Lord, Is It Warfare? Kay Arthur

Belt of TruthImportant truths from the Bible:

• There is a God, and you are not Him.• He loves you and created you for relationship

with Him.• He is holy and wants you to be holy too.• 2 basic rules: love God, love other people• Jesus died for you to reconcile you to God and

lives in and through you• The Christian life can be summed up in two

words: TRUST and OBEY

Belt of Truth

Truth is foundational to the rest of the armor. If we don't know the truth and own the truth, everything else will fall apart.

Breastplate of Righteousness• Breastplate covered all of a soldier's

vital organs, front and back• Usually made of metal• Guarded his heart

What does Righteousness mean?• Dictionary.com: Morally upright; without

guilt or sin• Right standing before God• Jesus traded our sin for His

righteousness– 2 Cor 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin

to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

• "Not guilty!"

The breastplate of righteousness protects us from grounds for accusation:

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:1, 38-39

How the Breastplate of Righteousness Works

• “I know God has forgiven me, but what do you do with all the garbage in the memories?”

• The breastplate of righteousness allows us to say:"I'm forgiven,I'm pardoned,My sin is paid for, soSCAT, Satan!"

The breastplate of righteousness is the shed

blood of Jesus.

Labels• God desires truth in our inmost parts

(Psalm 51)• Which label are you wearing? It may

have come from a parent, a sibling, a classmate, or even ourselves, but it originated with Satan because he hates you.

• Write your labels on a post-it note, put them on yourself, and then take them to the cross. . . where they belong.

LabelsMistake Unwanted Loser FatUgly Incompetent No self-controlRebellious Can't do anything rightNever enough Nobody special Special Dumb Unacceptable DisappointmentDamaged goods Inadequate Too oldToo young Shy People pleaser FrigidBroken Tomboy Unloving Friendless

LabelsFrigid Not working to potentialUnpopular Cold DirtyWhy can't you be more like your sister?Disorganized Wicked

StubbornInfertile AloneLazySmarty pants Goody two-shoesBad mother Stuck up TrampImpulsive Woman with a past