Breastplate
Ephesians 6:10-18
Ephesians 6 makes it clear twice in today’s reading – the “full armor of God” each piece has purpose and function. Each piece is essential. This is not a pick and choose type of issue. Each piece is also inter-related to the others.
The Protection
1. The Heart
The heart symbolically represented the mind. The seat of logic and decision making. To the Hebrew the thoughts and decisions were based in the heart.
"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. " (Proverbs 23:7(a), NKJV)
“For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery," (Mark 7:21, NIV)
Armor protects your decision making. Your mind. Your reason, your thought process.
2. The Bowels
To the Hebrew the bowels were the seat of emotion and feelings. What you feel – your emotional response. The breast plate is designed to guard, protect and keep from attack your reasoning and your emotions. They must be guarded and watched over. Why – because when they are attacked – they can render you ineffective in the fight.
"But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?" (1 John 3:17, NKJV)
3. Areas of attack
“ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10, NKJV)
The devil wants to attack you in two main areas – your thinking and your emotions.
On the Mind The goal is to cloud your mind with lies and things that are twisted pieces of truth.
On the Emotions The goal is to feed you false information for your emotions
Here is an interesting thing. The thinking and the emotions play off of each other. What you think effects your emotions – your emotions affect your reasoning. If one area is hit – under attack the simple fact is this – both are affected. How dangerous is it to go into battle with no armor in this area?
Let’s talk about your marriage – are you making decisions based on emotion?
Let’s talk about your relationships – are you making decisions with hurt feelings?
Let’s talk about your business, your finances – is your mind and your reasoning protected?
We must learn that when our thinking gets out of control – that when our emotions rage out of control – we must learn to say – I am under attack – I have to battle that. Don’t give in to it. Don’t allow it to happen guard yourself – with what – Ephesians 6 says that the armor we wear to guard our logic and our emotions is righteousness.
I. What is righteousness?
Self righteousness
Self-righteousness is reflected in statements like :
I’m a good person
If you were in my spot you would do the same thing
If you think I am bad – you should see the pastor across town
If God didn’t want me to feel this way he would change my situation
Making a mistake – you think that righteousness is comparing yourself to others – it isn’t. it is looking at God and his holiness – understanding that in myself there is a shortage of righteousness.
"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags…" (Isaiah 64:6, NIV)
"As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”" (Romans 3:10-12, NIV)
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23, NIV)
We simply don’t come equipped with righteousness – it is something we are in need of. We are lacking the protection in our thinking and our emotions – we are in need of it.
The good news is - Righteousness is credited to us
Righteousness is not earned by us. Righteousness is credited to us. It’s God’s choice to credit it to us.
“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. " (Romans 3:22(a), NIV)
"What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”" (Romans 4:3, NIV)
The Bible even tells us exactly how God does it. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV)
That happened on the cross. So that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” God credited this righteousness to us when we trusted in what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.
II. What does Righteousness look like?
When I am standing in righteousness – what does it look like – what does this shield look like in everyday life?
Being right before God
Becoming right with others
Righteousness is being right before God and becoming right with others as I'm right before others in my actions. It starts with being right before God. I can stand before God knowing that my relationship with Him is cleared up.
A. Practical Righteousness
The breastplate of righteousness protects you. There are obvious signs that you are not protected
But just as obvious are the marks of a minister who walks through challenge, division, anger, hopelessness with their thoughts and emotions protected by the righteousness of God.