and 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. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having gird your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, being watchful to this end, with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. And for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel. And we'll end right there. The text for today is Ephesians 6, 14. Stand therefore, having gird your waist with truth, and what we're looking at today, having put on the breastplate of righteousness. We've been studying, well, let's start with a prayer first, shall we? Father, thank you that you allow us to come together around your word. We praise you that you have given us your thoughts your love to us in writing, that we can enjoy it, that we can apply it to our lives, that we can grow by it, that we can love you more through it. Lord, we understand that this part is used for our protection and our growth. Help us, Lord, then to stand and help us to put on your power and your might and your armor. We ask, Lord, that you would intervene and work here as the teacher teaches and the congregation learns. Lord, that you would open mouths and open ears. Let your Holy Spirit work on us in Jesus' name. Amen. We've been studying the command to be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. Apostle Paul commanded us to put on the whole armor of God. We do this because we are up against an incredible enemy and his evil army. He will do all he can to make us fall. We are to use the armor of God that he gave us to fight the enemy and remain standing. The last time we looked at the belt of truth, having our loins gird with truth, we saw that the truth was the gospel. That body of information that Paul gave the Ephesians at the time was what he was referring to. We saw that the truth was a name for the faith and all it contains. We saw that Paul wanted the Ephesian believers to become knowledgeable in the faith. He likened it to having a secure belt around one's waist that secures everything in place, like a Roman soldier's belt. We discussed how having a thorough knowledge of the faith is a deterrent to Satan's lies and deceptions. He can't fool you if you thoroughly know the truth. Having a firm grasp of the truth helps one to remain standing in the faith. This week, we'll be looking at a second piece of the armor, the breastplate of righteousness. Rick Kantner, I think, must have stole some of my notes. A couple of weeks ago, he was dealing with the book of Hebrews. He kind of covered pretty much what I'm covering today, the idea of the righteousness that we have in Christ. But no, he didn't steal my notes and he didn't steal my thunder. Rather, I take it that maybe God is dealing with this particular subject at this time that we should pay all the more attention when it's repeated. Because we didn't plan this to come out this way. We're teaching the same thing week after week. It's important in our Christian walk that we protect ourselves against the enemy of our souls. He seeks to hinder us and destroy us when we do well to obey the preaching of the Apostle Paul on spiritual warfare. So let's look at what we must do with the second piece of armor, the breastplate of righteousness. The first thing it says to do We'll read this again. Stand therefore, having girded your ways with truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness. Put on. It's your job to do this. We're being ordered to do something, to put on. It is provided by God, but it's not automatic. It is necessary for all Christians to put on this breastplate. And it's useless if you're not a Christian. It's not going to help you a bit because you don't have it. It's for the church only. The Apostle Paul was writing to the Ephesian church and to believers only in that church. We're responsible to put on this piece of armor in order to stand. A fallen man, a lost man cannot stand. It's a command from the Apostle Paul. It's not an option because the war that we're in is not an option. If we're Christians, we're at war, we're going to be attacked, and we need to defend ourselves first. We also need to be on the offense as well. It is war. But it says to put on a breastplate. The imagery comes again from a Roman soldier, and they would have this covering for their entire torso. They call it a breastplate, but it actually went all the way around the back as well, made of thick leather and or metal. It's used to protect vital organs during fighting and in combat. It's connected to the belt or the girdle at the bottom. Some people have the cliche that there's no back to the breastplate, so therefore you can't turn and run because there's no protection if you turn away. But in any war or battle, There's always the possibility somebody will come up from behind you and surprise you. You need the breastplate on both sides. Not because you're a coward, but because you're smart. Breastplate protects all the torso and the vital organs within it. The Bible uses the imagery of a breastplate in other places as well. For example, In Isaiah 59, 17, it says, he put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on his head. He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and was clad with a zeal as a cloak. And he's speaking of the Lord at this point. But it says not just to put on a breastplate, but it says to put on a breastplate of righteousness. The idea of a breastplate is an illustration of a spiritual truth. We're not talking about a physical breastplate for our physical bodies. It is that which concerns righteousness that acts as a breastplate. It protects the heart, mainly. It guards against attacks penetrating into our inmost being, spiritually. A breastplate is not our own flesh, but a covering over it, if you're a soldier in the flesh. Righteousness spoken here is not our own, but a covering over it. We're familiar with that here. We're all Reformed Baptists. We know about these things. It's the substitute righteousness that we're talking about here, is the breastplate. And just as a breastplate is a substitute for one's flesh, breastplate of righteousness is a covering for our soul, our spirit, our mind, our heart. It's Jesus. More to the point, it is his righteousness that we're talking about here. It has the imagery of being in Christ. It includes the idea of the doctrine of substitution, his righteousness for ours, or our lack of it. Some theologian types like to call it the alien righteousness. We have righteousness from outside, not our own. Jeremiah 23.6 says, In his days, Judah will be saved and all Israel will dwell safely. Now this is the name by which he will be called, the Lord our righteousness. Second Corinthians 5.21, this is probably a key verse in the whole New Testament, I would think. Because it's the gospel in a tiny little pistachio shell. For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. It's about the great exchange. He took our sin. He gave us his righteousness. You have no righteousness of your own. Everybody here knows that, right? Oh, the righteousness you have is sin. It's evil. You'd be lost on your own righteousness. We know that here. See, I'm not preaching to get people saved. I'm talking to people who already are. We all stand rightly condemned if judged on our own righteousness. But when Jesus walked the earth, he fulfilled righteousness perfectly. He earned it. He perfectly kept the law of God. And when he died on the cross, our sin was on him and he put away our sin. He was punished for it and he paid it all. It's the gospel that we know here and we love. He gave his righteousness to all who believe in him. This is righteousness that comes by faith. It says in Romans 4, 3, for what does scripture say? Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. The same stands for us. As the previous verse said, he became sin for us. We became the righteousness of God in him. Let that one sink in. You ever go over a verse over and over again and you're familiar with it? Oh yeah, I know what that is. Then all of a sudden some day it hits. What did it just say? This is one of them. Boom. Read it again. We become the righteousness of God in him. Have you ever considered just how righteous you are in Christ. We know that we're righteous. He gave us his righteousness, the great... We know that. But have you considered just how righteous we are in Christ? Sometimes we gloss over the familiar passages and are not hit with it in the actual reading, like I was just saying, because I'm reading my notes instead of actually talking like I meant to. but the immensity of what's being said here. We understand the requirement to enter heaven is absolute perfection. Jesus said, for I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven, Matthew 5, 20. And in another place, Mark 10, he says, and they were exceedingly astonished and said to him, Then who can be saved when considering that not even the rich can get in? Jesus looked at him and said, with man it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God. And we get the idea here at Word of Life Baptist Church, rightly, that we are perfect in Christ. But that verse is saying so much more. It says here the righteousness of God, a righteousness that comes from God and provided by God, yes, through Jesus. It's more than that. We're talking about the armor that comes from and is provided by God, yes, but there is more. It is not merely a righteousness fit for us to stand before God. It's not merely a righteousness provided by God. We're talking about the righteousness of God the Son here. Let us hit home, brothers and sisters. When God looks at us now, if we're saved, He sees his own son. Hi. Yes, Dave. The one that gets me is you'll be able to go to God in all boldness. We're getting there. You're ahead of me. Good. OK. Sorry. Let this hit home, brothers and sisters. When God looks at us now, if we are saved, he sees his own son. He no longer sees our sin. We are justified. We are forgiven. We are righteous in him. But we're talking about becoming the righteousness of God. not merely having it, becoming it. This is the part that gets me. This is the part that we gloss over. Can you think about this without fearing blasphemy or heresy? Just how righteous are we before God? In Christ, key words, in Christ, we are just as righteous as God himself. Does that sound bad? Does that sound strong than it should be? Yeah. I've always believed that righteousness is the total sum of everything that God is. Is that correct? I don't think there's anything left out when you say the righteousness of God. I would say it's the sum of his character. But righteousness isn't necessarily his miracles and his power. That's for Pastor Paul with the attributes. Right. Would that mean that we're not going to have those attributes? No. Righteousness, not the attributes, but righteousness is an attribute. That's what we will have. That's what we do have. Hear this out for a moment. We become reflection of his own righteousness. Why? When God looks at us with his righteousness, When God sees us in Christ, key words, when God sees us having become his own righteousness, we are a mirror reflection to him of his righteousness. To say less is to say less about Christ, because that's what we're really talking about here. Not ourselves, but him. and us in Him, hidden in Him. We are as righteous as Almighty Holy God in Christ Jesus. Have you ever really thought about this? Have you ever considered how God really sees you in Christ? That is what the breastplate is. God's own righteousness. And it covers sinful us. It protects our hearts as we put on that breastplate. Wait a minute. Isn't every Christian absolutely perfect in Christ already? Yeah. Yes, if you are saved today, you have the righteousness of God. Yes, Mike. When I think of the righteousness of God, I think that God's holiness against sin has been thoroughly satisfied by the blood of Christ, and we can approach him only through that. That's right. He must be born today. Yes. If you are saved today, you have the righteousness of God. And as it says, you are the righteousness of God. But what's this putting on of a breastplate all about? If you already have it, how are you putting it on? Having the righteousness of God is part of salvation. If you don't have it, you're not saved. So what then is this putting on all about? Does it mean to suggest that we do righteous acts and live righteously? No, it's not what it's talking about here. That would be part of the effect of putting it on, part of the standing that we're talking about, but it's not the cause. Commentators get into words like the objective and the subjective here. I'm not going to get into that because, number one, I don't understand it, and number two, I get bored with the idea. of objective and subjective. So we're just going to talk about cause and effect, okay? But I believe this verse is not telling us to be redundant and become righteous all over again. It's talking about the mind of the Christian, of the heart. The belt of truth tells Christians that they are righteous in Christ. It's part of the faith. We are righteous in Christ. The breastplate is when a Christian knows this truth and protects himself with it. Like I said earlier on, it's about the righteousness. The breastplate is that part where the Christian takes and embraces and owns that righteousness to himself. that he already has as a defense, as a joy, as a protection. It is a necessary thing that we understand how we stand before God in order to fight this fight, because we have an enemy. He has the mentality. that he is righteous before God in Christ. He lives life with a firm conviction of his righteous standing before God. This provides protection against falling and stumbling and being pierced through. Anybody starting to understand what I'm talking about here, or am I rambling, goofiness? OK. The breastplate then is the understanding of and faith in the truth about our righteousness in Christ. It is a breastplate covering the heart. To put it on is to use this truth to protect oneself from the enemy's assaults. All Christians must keep this breastplate on in order to live the Christian life successfully. A non-believer can never wear this breastplate because he doesn't have Christ. He can't put confidence in something he does not yet have. Only Christians may feel confident before God. It's not proud. It's not arrogant. It's not presumptuous. Rather, it's the Word of God, and it's not to be denied. So therefore, brothers and sisters, get your breastplate started. The summary verse. The breastplate, then, is the understanding of and faith in the truth about our righteousness in Christ. It is like a breastplate covering the heart. So let's demonstrate it first as a problem. Let's get attacked here. You're familiar with it. You have a Less than perfect day. Okay, you've blown it. You've sinned. Maybe it's been a long stretch of failures and problems. Kind of feel like giving up sometimes maybe? Man, you say, what is wrong with me? You have needs. However, you want to pray. But man, do you feel unworthy. How can I pray now after how I've been? Your own heart condemns you. I can't go before him like this, not after what I just did. Then Satan starts in. No, you can't go before God like that. Would you dare pray to God as sinful as you are? Look at what you've done. Look at what you are. Are you sure you're even a Christian, says the devil? I'd stay far away and clear of him until he cools down, he says of God. And you say to yourself, maybe I should wait, come before him when I am better suited. Maybe I ought to just skip it. Surely he doesn't want to see me coming around after what I've done. I have really blown it. I must be disgusting to him now. Perhaps you've not sinned a great sin. Maybe it's just how you see yourself in general. God doesn't approve of me. I'm not a super saint. Why would he ever welcome me? I'm nothing special. Yes, Mike? First John 1.9, if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He's saying we can't do it again. We make God a liar. The truth is not in us. Exactly. And we're going to get there. But you're thinking ahead, and that's good. Well, the solution's there. Why would he ever? Welcome me. I'm nothing special. Why bother? And brothers and sisters, with all of this, if that's our mindset, we're defeated. You're defeated. We're fallen if we think this way. Yes, Dave. Well, don't forget that you also feel forgotten Then you get depressed by it, because nothing's changed, and it just seems like it's a steady slide down the slope without taking anything. You forgot. Yeah, exactly. Why bother? With all this, you are defeated. You have fallen. Now, I'm not saying that you're losing your salvation. That can't happen. But you're losing a fight here. You're losing a battle here. Satan lied to you. Your heart lied to you. And you did not know the truth, or you did not own the truth. And because of the deceptions, you fell. Deceptions? What deceptions? All that stuff about being unworthy to go before God, all that junk about God not welcoming you, that lie about how God sees you. You were not wearing your breastplate of righteousness just then. And because of that, you lose a fight. You stumble. The enemy pierced your heart and hurt you. Where's your breastplate? But I am vile. I am a sinner, you say. True, but you are in Christ. So, E, let's look at the solution. Truth is when God looks at you and sees only Christ. That's the truth. He looks at you and sees only Christ. When God looks at you in Christ, he sees perfection. When God looks at you in Christ, he sees his reflection. In Christ, you are sanctified and holy in his sight. In Christ, you are absolutely righteous, no blemish. Again, in Christ. 1 Corinthians 1.30 says, It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus who has become for us wisdom from God, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption. As it says in another place, you are the righteousness of God in him. Remember in the beginning, we were made in the image and likeness of God. I think that righteousness in particular is the thing we're talking about here. There are other things, but God was holy and so were we. God was righteous and so were we at the creation before the fall. This is restored in Christ. Our righteousness looks like God himself because it is his righteousness. Okay, you say, but every Christian has this. True, every Christian is absolutely perfect in God's sight in Christ. Every true Christian reflects God's own righteousness back to him. Philippians 3, 9 says, and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. So then, what's this putting on the breastplate all about? While every Christian is perfectly righteous in Christ before God, not every Christian uses the fact to protect himself against the enemy. Many Christians don't know about their standing before God. It doesn't occur. I just put a Facebook question out there just to see how those that are on Facebook that are Christians would respond to it. I was shocked at the responses I got from people I thought really knew their stuff. But they would take me to task at the idea that they are righteous before God. Oh, I'm getting there, I'm working on it. Well, not yet and all that. And when I would push it further and say, but in Christ, you are righteous before God, they would deny it. And this is what I'm finding, is that we as Christians don't realize, understand, and embrace this. And in doing that, we're helping defeat ourselves. Yes, Dave. Lucifer's always been reminding us of our flaws and how to keep us awake. But then you have Christ there that allows us. But the thing is, God said, I will remember your sins no more. That's just outstanding. That's part of the breastplate of righteousness. How can you define righteousness so that people will understand? Absolute perfection. As righteous as God himself. That's the nature of God. The nature of God, as far as righteousness is. We can't be all present. We can't be knowing all things. But in Christ, and that's the key, we're talking about Jesus' righteousness, which is equal to God. And if we have him, that's our righteousness, because we're in him. When God looks at us, he sees him with us inside. I understand when you're saying the nature of that. Right. I understand about not being able to do miracles. We're knowing everything. Right. But is that part of his righteousness? I don't know. I haven't gone there. I don't know. I know he is righteous in it, but is it part of his righteousness? I can't say. I don't know. I'm only referring to the righteousness itself. Could it be that the people that you asked on Facebook have a confusion of righteousness versus salvation and sinlessness? Because I think a lot of people don't really look at themselves as righteous when they can see how sinful they are, even though in their salvation, they still sin. That's where the breastplate comes in. Right, and they don't understand it. That's what I'm trying to explain to them, but they're not wanting to hear that. They don't want to hear that. They're looking at it as sanctification. Right, not righteousness. They're looking at the now, but there's two nows. There's the now that we experience experientially, and there's also the position. Yes, Mike. Well, I was just going to say, I think you're starting to hit it. Our condition is different than our position. Our position in Christ is perfect. Right. Our condition as we sit here is not. Right. Personally. Right. But we're not being judged, and God doesn't see us according to that. He sees us in Christ. In Christ. His holiness is satisfied. Well, I was beginning to say that, but it's the now and the now. It's the now and the now. And then there's also, one of the nows is also a not yet. Now, now, now. Okay. Not many Christians defend themselves with this truth. Few Christians even know about its strong defense. Few use the breastplate that comes with this righteous standing before God. It's one thing to be righteous in Christ. It's another thing to use this as armor against the enemy attacks. To put on this breastplate is not to become righteous before God. You as a Christian already have that. To put on the breastplate is not to behave rightly before God. That is the right thing to do. But to put on the breastplate is to understand, believe, and take to yourself the fact of your righteous standing before God as your defense against the lies of the devil and the lies of your own heart. It is a using of your righteousness That's the breastplate. Okay. Letter F. Let's demonstrate the solution. So then let's try this scenario again. You've really blown it this time. Same guy as the earlier illustration. Oh, yeah. You've sinned big time. Again and again and again. You were tempted. to feel like giving up. You hear the devil pointing out your unrighteousness. Your heart begins to condemn you. Maybe some loudmouth heckler says, I thought you were a Christian in the midst of all of it. There's always one of them. Before this gets hold of you and makes you wreck, think. What did Jesus accomplish for you? What are you in Christ? How does God see you in Christ? Think about the gift of absolute righteousness that is given to you. Think about God who started this whole thing and who will finish it. You think about who exactly can bring a charge against God's elect. You remind yourself that you will always have a perfect standing before the Father and Christ. You will not quit. Sure, you need to repent and confess of your sins. But again, he's faithful just to forgive us our sins. The price has been paid. The judgment has been satisfied against us. God is well pleased with us in Christ. The devil says, you ain't righteous, look at you. You reply, I'm absolutely perfect in Christ. When God looks at me, what more can the devil do? Is your own heart getting any of this? That heckler, tell him this. I'm a sinner, but I'm absolutely perfect before God in Christ. That's arrogant, they say. Such pride. No, you say. Rather, it would be arrogant to contradict God's word. Yes, David. I heard this from a pastor. I don't know if it was Calvin or whoever. But he said that, I think it was Calvin. Or it was the guy that did Pilgrim's Progress. He was in a room, and he felt Lucifer reminding him of all of his sins. And then Lucifer hit one. Thank you, Lucifer. I forgot about that one. I have to repent. That's putting on the breastplate to me. Yeah. I think probably even more the breastplate would be saying to Lucifer, take a walk. And such were some of you, it says. in 1 Corinthians 6-11 after naming a bunch of beasties. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and by the Spirit of our God. Justified is right up there with righteous. It would be proud to deny what God said is true. If God is for us, who can be against us? You are firmly convinced of these things. Satan cannot move you from them. You have remained standing in this assault. Now, how do you handle your relationship before God? How do you approach God in prayer when you know you have his righteousness? You have the need to pray as before. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace. that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in the time of need. Hebrews 4.16. Or Ephesians 3.12. In him, through faith in him, we may enter God's presence with boldness and confidence. If you didn't know that you were righteous enough to come before God, You couldn't do it confidently or boldly. Now, the word bold these days has the idea of being bad, or outwardly nasty, or arrogant. But that's not the word here. The word bold has the idea of confidence, fearless. It'll spur us on to do good works. not feeling defeated and useless. Allow us to be confident in all God's promises that he made toward us and to us. It will help us to stand against sin. It will help us to stand against deceptions and lies. It will help us to keep from falling into despair, hopelessness, and fear. It's a faith builder. This protects our hearts. It helps us to remain standing. Letter G, a word about cause and effect. The commentators go back and forth about the breastplate being the confidence we have in the righteousness we have before God in Christ and our behaving righteously in our Christian walk, our obedience being the breastplate. Reasoning says that when we do not live righteously, We give the devil license. You ever hear that one? You give the devil license? They say we give the devil rights to us as Christians when we live in disobedience. I don't agree that we can give the devil license. I don't agree that we give the devil rights over us when we sin. I think that's wrong. That's bad theology. But we do open ourselves up to many nasty attacks and assaults when we live the Christian life in disobedience. We invite trouble on ourselves. Not that we give license to the devil, but we do invite trouble on ourselves. I do not believe the devil ever has license over a true born-again believer. Nevertheless, When we depend on our breastplate of armor, we defend ourselves against Satan. We begin to grow and strengthen ourselves in obedience and sanctification. To become more obedient is part of what it means to stand. It's part of becoming strong in the Lord, part of the goal. The more we become strong in the Lord and the power of his might, the less we sin, and fall into temptation. The less we fall into temptations, the more obedience protects us against Satan, too, by not inviting trouble on ourselves. As we grow in holiness and sanctification, we become more stable to face Satan. This is part of our desired outcome of our putting on the breastplate of righteousness. It's part of the effect, but it's not the primary cause. The primary cause is to use the understanding of our righteousness before God to resist Satan. The effect is to stand against sin and deceptions and lies of the enemy. Standing against the sin and lies and temptation of Satan causes us secondarily to become stronger, too. And that's part of the desired effect. In context here, the breastplate we are talking about is the cause, not the effect. You guys can figure out the objective-subjective stuff. I'm not touching that one. Okay, so some closing thoughts. This is not to say that there are no consequences to sin in a Christian's life. It's not to say that we can live whatever way we want and sin freely. If you get that idea, you haven't understood this. It's not a reason to be proud or arrogant. It's one thing to say I'm completely righteous before God in Christ Jesus. I have the righteousness of God himself in Christ Jesus as a gift. And it's another thing to go strutting around about it, thinking you're something special. You are something special in Christ, but not the way I'm talking. Don't get cocky. This is of grace. This is an eternally precious gift given by God. This is a good reason to praise him and thank him and appreciate him and love him more. This is where humility comes in. What we really deserve compared to what we were given in Christ is part of the gospel idea of substitution. Never forget that. Christ is our substitute. He took our sin and became sin and was condemned on the cross for us instead of us. He lived righteously, fulfilled the law, and gives us that righteousness, not our own. It's a substitute. It's part of the strength and the might of God. We're becoming strong in the Lord with this breastplate. It comes by faith, the righteousness and the breastplate of it. So then I'll ask you. Is your armor on? Do you have your breastplate on? Do you understand it? You know, this is something that would probably make a really neat fellowship conversation around a couple of coffees at a table full of cookies someday. I think this is something big. Warren, will you close in prayer? Father God, we thank you for this study. We thank you for the power of your word. Thank you for giving us understanding and clarity. Thank you for all those times that the pieces do drop down. We just praise your name for your word. Amen.