Let's turn in our scriptures to the book of Ephesians, chapter 6. It's the very end of the book of Ephesians. Ephesians comes right after the book of Galatians. Galatians, then Ephesians, and then Colossians. And the church in Ephesians was one of the early churches established in the city of Ephesus. It was not a Christian city. It was a very pagan city filled with all sorts of pagan worship. And so this church is striving, working hard, to do what the Lord would require of them. They are learning things that they had never heard before. Now as Christians, as a newly founded church, they are learning how to walk with the Lord, how to know the Lord. And here we are in chapter six, we are looking at the matter of spiritual warfare or the warfare that Christians are engaged in. Now if you're not engaged in spiritual warfare, keep in mind that soon it will engage you. The Christian does not have the option of saying whether or not he, she will engage in this warfare. If you know Christ as your Lord and Savior, it will come your way. And so it's best for you to do what we see here in the scriptures. Let me read to you beginning of verse 10. Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against the rulers against the authorities against the cosmic powers Over this present darkness against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand the evil day and having done all to stand firm Stand therefore having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness. And as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Praying at all times in the spirit, with all prayer, and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. Paul goes on in verse 19 and says, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly as I ought to speak. Let me pray. Our Lord and Savior, we thank you for the clarity of your word. We thank you, Lord, for the analogy that is given to us here, by which we are to engage in this battle that comes to us, a battle against your church, a battle against your kingdom, a battle against the people who you call to yourself. And we pray, oh God, that we would be not only strong and mighty warriors, but that we would be able to stand and to do beyond just that standing, that we would gain ground for your kingdom. Teach us then, O God, to wear the full armor that you provide. Teach us, Lord, today on the importance of the belt of truth. We pray this in your name, O God. Amen. And that is our text this morning. It is not even a complete verse. It's just a portion of verse 14. And verse 14, once again, reads this way. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness. We're going to look at just that element of the belt of truth. You know very well that Satan is very able and very willing and he has a certain amount of arrows in his quiver which he uses again and again and again for centuries. He's been shooting these same fiery arrows at the people of God, and they have been just as effective then as they are now. Or maybe I should put it the other way around. They are just as effective today as they were back then. You think we would have learned something right now, right? No, Satan continues to fling these arrows very successfully at the people of God. Let me make a list of some of these arrows for you. Which ones have you experienced, let's say, in these last 25 days? The arrow which makes you question what is true, question the truth of God. That's the arrow that was first flung at Eve, and it worked very well. How about this arrow? Demoralized success. So that even when something good happens in your life, even when there is an achievement, it comes with heartache. And it tends to actually make you cheerless, dismal, sad. That even what is good is no longer good because saying is able to demoralize you. How about doctrinal confusion? Oh, that's a very mighty arrow. so that you don't know what the Bible really says about a particular topic. And you just sit there, and you scratch your head, and you wonder. Then there is the arrow of hindering your service to God so that there's no real gumption to serve God in a meaningful way. You would just rather exist. but no real service to the Lord. How about the arrow of division, whereby Satan uses you to divide the church of Jesus Christ? And usually he does this by using your pride and your anger. It works almost every time. Seldom is it driven by pure motives, but almost always it's couched in the And a righteous purpose, oh, I'm right for doing this, therefore I will do it. The arrow of self-sufficiency, which is a sense in which I don't need to depend on God, I got this, I can do this on my own. And you find yourself failing. Because listen, my friends, if you're going to live well in this life, you must depend on God. The devil will tell you otherwise. And he knows how to play into our pride and into our skills. You're very able people, I know I am. And it's so easy to depend on myself instead of the Lord. How about the arrow of hypocrisy or worldliness? So that you claim one thing but you live in the opposite way. And this arrow, by the way, always comes from behind. You don't see this one coming. And you end up being a hypocrite. You say one thing but do another. And of course then the big overall arrow of disobedience to God's words. Because the draw of sin is so compelling. Now, I won't ask you to raise your hands, but have you been struck by any of these arrows this month? How many, how many of these arrows struck you? Well, Ephesians chapter 6, beginning there, verse 10, as I read to you, calls on us to defend ourselves against these and other arrows that Satan flings our way. In fact, earlier on, Paul refers to this as the schemes of the devil in verse 11. Schemes that are designed to alienate you from God and break fellowship and create in us a passion for how the world lives instead of for how God wants us to live. And I must admit, it does not take much to incite us to have a passion for how the world lives. It takes quite a bit of effort to incite us to have a passion to live as God would want us to live. So these arrows don't even have to have a lot of fire on it. It could just be a little burning ember on a tip, and they seem to work so well. The armor of God here begins, as you well know, with the belt of truth. And that's our topic this morning, just the belt of truth. And I want you to see just two points, the first one being this, the essential content of the truth, the essential content of truth. Paul makes it very clear that truth is imperative. He says, stand therefore. Stand therefore. Truth is the means by which we will be able to stand firm. Take away truth and listen, you will not stand. God's truth we're talking about. Take away God's truth and you will not stand. The armor of God is essential if we are going to be immovable In the face of such ruthless attacks, in the face of such a ruthless enemy, Satan is that ruthless enemy. This is how we ought to anticipate the enemy. We have to put on the full armor of God, and the first piece of that armor is the belt of truth. And of course, the initial goal is that we would remain standing. In fact, three times. Verses 11, 13 says that you would stand or stand firm. Stand, stand, stand. That's the initial goal. But it doesn't stop there. I remember my years working in a hospital. There was one patient I had to tend to. Really nice guy. He was a boxer back in the 1940s and 50s. And he would love to tell me about his match with Rocky Marciano. How many of you remember Rocky Marciano? Yeah, quite a few. The older folks do, by and large. And some of the younger guys do, too. Rocky Marciano had nothing to do with Rocky from the movies. Rocky Marciano was a boxer, and what a boxer he was. And this fellow went into the ring with him. And he would love to tell me about that fight. And he would end the conversation with, I was a contender, Paulie. I was a contender. And so every time I saw him, I knew what to talk to him about. I would say, tell me about your fight with Rocky Marciano. And his eyes would open up. He was a very sick man at this point. But all of a sudden, he would have all this energy to tell me about each round he went with Rocky. But you know, he did not win. But he was a contender. He did not fall, he did not go down. And he was so proud of it, he said, I was a contender, Pauli. With a real New Jersey accent. And it's great, I'm glad he was able to withstand that he remained standing. But that is just the first goal for the Christian, that you remain standing. But you see, Christian, you are called to be more than just a contender. You are called to be a victor. You are called to win the fight. And you win the fight by taking ground. You are to do more than just simply stand at the end of the battle. You are to actually advance the cause of Christ. And in order to do that, you must begin by putting on the belt of truth, which is the word of God. And so we read here, stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth. Now, the Roman uniform, the Roman soldier uniform, included a loose-fitting tunic. They would put that on first obviously and that tunic was loose and so it would actually hinder the soldier in combat or whenever the soldier needed to move quickly. And so what the belt would do is that it would gather all of his clothing so that his clothes would not obstruct his movements, whether it was marching, running, fighting. In fact, we see something very similar in the description given for the Passover recorded in Exodus chapter 12. If you're quick, look up Exodus chapter 12 and verse 11. Exodus 12.11. I see some of you are very quick. I'm going to read it to you. If you didn't find it, just listen. Here it is. Instructions regarding the Passover. In this manner you shall eat it. Eat the Passover. With your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. Why? So that you can leave Egypt very quickly. Did you notice that? With your belt fastened. Why? So that it would gather all your clothes and your clothes would not be a hindrance to you. In the Old English, Ephesians chapter 6 verse 14 reads, gird your loins with the belt of truth. In other words, fasten the belt around your waist. That's what you would do when you had to work or travel or fight in the war and often what it included whether you were a soldier or somebody in Passover or just doing work, you would take the bottom edge of your tunic and you would stick it under your belt so that it would not get in the way of your movement of your legs in particular. The belt also served to secure the breastplate and carry the sword. You see that the breastplate would rest behind the belt. Here the breastplate is referred to as the breastplate of righteousness. And the symbolism here is rich. The symbolism being that without truth, your righteousness is of little worth. Truth secures your righteousness. In other words, you cannot truly be righteousness without God's truth. You can have man-made righteousness, but that's not really righteousness. You need God's truth to secure righteousness. And not only that, but the belt actually carried the sword and the scabbard. These are defensive and offensive weapons for the battle. The point is that truth secures your life, my friends. That's why you need to put on the belt of truth. Righteousness. A life of righteousness needs to be connected truth Truth allows you to live securely and with agility through the trials of life Without God's truth You will not persevere in the battle You will not be agile through your trials You will suffer greatly Without God's truth you will be immobilized and even defeated You need the belt of truth Whenever we do not believe God's truth, we end up pointing a finger at God and simply saying, you're not trustworthy. Why? Because we do not have his truth. We forgot his truth or we forgot to put his truth around us. And I assure you, you will not like God if you do not believe his truth. God will be very, seem to be very unfair to you. And what will the result be? Well, the result will be anxiety, it will be anger, it will be disrespect, even depression, when you do not have the truth of God binding you. Eventually, there will be a sense of hopelessness. I remember reading of the first postmodern house And the architect designed it so that it would have a stairway that would take you up to the second, third floor. And at the top, there was nothing there. There was just a wall. The stairs would take you to a wall. It would take you nowhere. Postmodernism, there's no meaning, no reason for anything. No truth. That's what postmodernism says. There's no truth. And so you run up the stairs, and then there's nowhere to go. Personally, I would get very angry if I ran up those stairs with all my groceries and discovered that there's no place to go. And that's what happens to us when we live life without the truth of God. You know, because of various incidents recently, a quote that my wife shared with me Some time ago. It's one of our favorite quotes has been resonating in my mind one episode after another and it's this if we knew all that God knows we would have done exactly what God has done It's the truth my friends and I look at all the sorrow that surrounds us I Assure you you are not alone and This keeps coming to mind If I only knew all that God knows, I would have decided to do the same thing that God has done. I don't know all that God knows. And so I, not knowing, would do something differently. But if I knew, if I knew, then I would see that God is just and correct and that he is wise. And he is doing what is good and proper and wise and necessary, although I don't see it at this point. Without believing the fullness of God's truth, you will be encumbered, my friends. Doubt is going to rise in and over you. Sadness will overwhelm you. Without truth, you're going to have a life without purpose. No hope for tomorrow. You know, without truth, there is no right, there is no wrong. And when somebody wrongs you, well, there's no truth. Did they really wrong you? Without God's truth, you will have nothing to hang your morality on. No truth. And listen, you will be naked on the front lines with fiery arrows coming at you from every single direction. Without God's truth, you'll make Saving Private Ryan look like a rated G movie. Your life will be devastated. Truth is first, of course, here, a reference to the gospel message of Jesus Christ. In fact, if you stay in Ephesians and you go back to chapter one, verse 13, look at how it reads. 113. In him, referring to Christ, in him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. You see, to understand truth in this world, you must begin with this reality, the truth of the gospel of Christ. You get that right, and you can get the rest right as well. Get that wrong, and you're going to falter all the way through all of life. Chapter four, verse 21, look there. Assuming that you heard about him and were taught in him as the truth is in Jesus. Begin with Christ, and you can progress from there in understanding. Truths that are offered to you in this world The belt of truth is also a reference to living in that truth Not only do we understand the truth not only do we embrace that truth, but we must live in that truth that is that we have to apply what God has said and to us in our daily decisions. If you want to put on the belt of truth, if you want to remain standing and actually advance in life for the purpose of Christ, you must be taking those truths and applying them to your life in how you make your choices. You have to begin to then see life and live life through the lens of what God has said is true. Now the world offers many other supposed truths. And every one of us has that option of going in that direction. But listen, you will be devastated. The scriptures call on you to take the word of God, the truths of God, and make that the basis for your choices, for your lifestyle, make that the basis for how you live. And then you'll discover that indeed he is sovereign. You can trust him. And then you'll discover that he is good and he is wise. And you'll walk away saying, Lord, I don't know what you're doing, but certainly I can let God be God. Truth is essential. A deep knowledge of God's truth is essential. It will equip you for life. 1st Peter chapter 1 verse 13 reads this way therefore preparing your minds for action and being sober minded Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ Now as I was preparing this I came to me that there are three kinds of beltless people three kinds of beltless people People who are living outside of God's truth and they are discovering that it is very, very dangerous. Listen, if you think it's dangerous and hard to live within God's truth, try living outside of God's truth. Three kinds of beltless people. One is this. Those people who don't even have the belt of truth at all. They are completely unfamiliar with the gospel. Then there are those who question the truth of God, like Eve did. And they do not remain standing for very long. And then there are those who replace God's truth with their own truths. Have you ever bought a belt at the dollar store? It'll last you a good two weeks. You see, when we replace God's truth with our own truth, it's like buying a belt at the dollar store. It looks nice enough, but it will not last you. It will not last you. You will be waging war with a water gun, and you will be defeated. Let's move on. See a second point here. Second point is this. The attitude of truth. The attitude of truth. As you well know, but it bears saying, This truth needs to be in my inward being. It's not just head knowledge, but it has to be embedded, rooted in my soul. It's not just something I know, but something I live by. Psalm 51.6, David said, behold you, God, delight in truth in the inward being. And you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. In other words, this truth is what makes you who you are. This truth molds you. Again, not just head knowledge, but the determining factor in making you who you ought to be. Jesus Christ said in his prayer just before he went to the cross, John 17, 17, he says, sanctify them in what? the truth sanctify them in the truth your word is truth there he's expressing the desire that his followers be set apart and made holy how by putting on the belt of God's truth you see how important God's truth is To believe the truth of God means this, again, 1 Peter 1.13, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Listen, if you are focusing your hope in this life, the here and now, you will be disappointed. To quote from Princess Bride, get used to disappointments. Set your hope fully on what will be when Christ returns. There's our hope, my friends. Your hope will not be fulfilled here. Do not expect this life and this broken world to be your source of unbroken streams of happiness. This is what the world offers and cannot deliver, hope here and now. Ask Solomon, who had everything but hope. Ask Robin Williams, who had everything but hope. John chapter eight, beginning of verse 31, we read this. Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, quote, if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. The truth will set you free. To abide in God, to abide in Christ, means that you remain there. It means that you stay there. It means that you continue in Christ. It means that you wait in the truth of God's word. You wait in the truth of God's word. And here Jesus says, then you are my disciples. If you are abiding in him, then you are my disciples. And then, and only then, will you be set free. Free from what? Well, the benefit of God's truth requires a steady perseverance. of consuming and abiding in the truth of God. And then you will be set free from condemnation. Then you'll be set free from the power of sin. Then you will be set free from despair brought on by doubt. Then you will be set free from lies. The truth will set you free. You see, my friends, truth affects your character. It affects who you are. It will affect how you see life. Case in point, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was who he was on this earth. Why? Because he knew the truth of God. He abided in the truth of his father. And so you have to feast on God's revealed truth. Paul says put on the belt of truth. He means you need to consume his truth. Now listen, you did not discover God's truth. God's truth was not created in a laboratory. Truth is not a social construct. And truth is going to last far longer after we are all gone. Truth was revealed to us by God. We have this truth because he made it known. And he says to you, take it, feast on it, consume it, put it around your waist so that you will not be hampered. And when you feast on God's truth, it will change your character. It will change your outlook. It will change your determinations. It will change your courage. It will give you purpose. It will give you endurance. When you know the truth of God and you abide in it, it will change the outcome of the battle. Dr. James Boyce writes, successful spiritual warfare begins with fixing Christianity's greatest doctrines in your mind. That's where it begins. Now, notice how American Christians would prefer, often, often, not always, but often, would prefer activity over truth. Have you noticed that? They would prefer to do something than to believe something. As long as I'm busy doing Jesus things, then I'm okay. But whatever happened to what you believe? You see, it is the matter of what you believe that will change you, not what you do. Christian churches are so busy with so many activities, but what do they believe? Activity for God without truth is eventually soon enough will become dull. It will lose all its vibrancy It will be also short-lived and even even potentially dangerous detrimental to you Because eventually this not truth will be communicated to others Listen, you're active for God, but you don't believe his truth Eventually what you believe will be communicated Without truth you won't be able to actually engage in the battle but you'll also become vulnerable to the devil Ephesians chapter 4 verse 14 describes that person the person who did not believe the truth but certainly was active describes the person and the importance of the knowledge of truth it reads this way so that we may no longer be children. Why should you put on the belt of truth? So that you will no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Your mind must be renewed with the truth of God. You must have the attitude of truth. Well, let me close by just taking you to one more passage this morning in Romans chapter 12 Romans 12 verses 1 and 2 is a passage familiar to many of you It reads this way, I'll wait another moment I see some people still flip Romans 12 verses 1 and 2 I appeal to you therefore brothers I by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Your mind is renewed only by the truth of God. Then you can become a living sacrifice for God. Then you will know the power of God's truth in your life. But there's a problem here. There's a two-fold problem here in this verse. The first one is this. Living sacrifices tend to jump off the altar. A dead sacrifice can't jump off the altar. Living sacrifices say, yes, Lord, use me, take me, behold it. Not right now, and you get off the altar. The second problem is this. Being a living sacrifice is far more difficult than being a dead sacrifice. You see, martyrdom is hard, but it ends quickly enough. But being a living sacrifice means that you have to daily die to yourself, and that you have to daily be bound by the truth of God. But that's when you are set free. You are set free when you are bound by the truth of God. Put on the full armor of God and begin with the belt of truth.