“Combat Training” #5 – Eph 6

In the Old Testament book of Job, the righteous and devout Job loses everything. He loses his health, his wealth and his ten children and all he is left with is a nagging wife and a few long-winded friends and the very first thing he does is worship God. It says in Job 1:20, “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21and said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised." How is that possible? Do you think he was acting, playing, joking or just trying to look good?

In the New Testament, in Acts 16, Paul and Silas are thrown into jail and put in stocks. They are beaten and abused…and they never broke any laws. I don’t know about you but I would be a mad lad. I’d be calling my lawyer and screaming about my civil rights and causing a wild-eyed scene but it says that Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God while all the other prisoners were listening. How about them? Do you think they were faking it? Maybe Paul said, “Okay, Silas, this is going to be put into the Bible and people are going to study this for thousands of years. We better pretend like we are worshiping.”

Do you think that’s what happened? No? Well, then how did they do that? Then this morning we heard from Zitha Sydnell whose eight siblings were gunned down by a white man out of pure hate there in South Africa and Zitha was able to forgive that man and even worship with him years later in church. Now, that’s just too much! Surely Zitha is lying or pretending or faking it. How can anybody go through that and forgive?

Everybody has bad things happen to them every now and then, right? And sometimes your bad day turns into a bad week or even a bad month. And for some of us, it seems like it is always something. Why is that? Is God displeased with us? Does He hate us and want bad things to happen to us?

I don’t even have to bring up all the things happening in the news. It’s bad enough for some of us here today in our own lives. I look out and see people affected by difficulty all over the room. Job problems, physical problems, money problems, marriage problems (those two words go hand in hand, don’t they?). Problems with the kids, problems with the car, the weather…It’s enough to make you just want to give up sometimes, isn’t it?

Well, it would be if we weren’t being so saturated by the peace of God that passes all understanding. That’s what Philippians 4:7 says; that our hearts and minds are protected by God’s peace through Jesus Christ. It doesn’t say that bad things won’t come our way and I’m not going to stand up here and tell you that being a Christian makes life easy but I will tell you that I don’t understand how people get through this life without the peace that comes from having a relationship with Jesus.

Every time I think of the subject of peace, I think of talking to a drug-addicted friend of mine about it. When I asked if she had any peace in her life, she looked at me like I was crazy and said, “Peace!? I would give anything for peace!”

How about you? What would you give to have peace in your life, especially during the attacks of Satan? Is that even possible? Well, if you believe Job, Paul, Silas and Zitha, it is. Let’s look at the next piece of armor God has given us as we continue training for combat in Ephesians 6:10-18.

Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, be strong in the LORD and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the LORD's people.

You may have heard sermons preached on this beautiful passage before and if so I have to warn you that many times it may be a good and inspiring sermon but interpreted incorrectly. To have your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace is not Paul exhorting us to take the gospel out. This is one time where he tells us to put the gospel on and then stand there.

There are many, many other places that tell us as Christians to go out and tell others the good news or the Gospel but this is not one of them and it is important to know exactly what Paul was talking about because if we fail to put on one part of the armor, we can be assured that is where Satan will attack us.

On Feb. 28, 1997 two men robbed the Bank of America in North Hollywood, Ca. They went in carrying several guns each with over 3000 rounds of ammo and wearing full suits of home-made body armor that covered them from their heads down to their knees. They immediately started shooting with armor-piercing ammo that went right through the police cars when they quickly arrived.

When the police shot back the body armor repelled every bullet. It is estimated that the police fired almost 700 rounds at the two men but it wasn’t until one of the SWAT team members, who had ducked behind a police car shot under the car hitting one of the men in the shins and feet that finally the man was brought down. They had protection everywhere else and may have gotten away with it but they had left one piece of armor off and it proved to be their downfall.

So, it is just as important or more for us to know what armor is available to us and to make sure that we put it on. Paul tells us to be strong in the Lord and stand firm against the schemes of the Devil and to put on the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness as we have talked about in previous weeks. He then says to have our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from having the gospel of peace.

Some of your translations probably say to be shod with the readiness. It means to lace up tightly. As I prepared for this sermon I read several commentaries about what this verse means. Almost every commentary would explain that a Roman soldier’s shoes would be made of leather and metal with spikes on the bottom for traction and would include brass greaves that would protect from the knees down to the top of the foot. The commentary would then go on to say that we should shod ourselves with the gospel of peace so we don’t slip.

I would read that and think, “Yea, we should do that. But what does that mean?” I read sermons from other preachers and they would talk long and pretty about fitting ourselves with the gospel of peace but few tried to actually explain it. Some would say that our feet should always be ready to take the gospel to all parts of the world and while that is true and good to say, it is not what this passage is talking about.

As we explore what it actually means to have our feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, I want us to see 3 basic things:

· The Gospel brings vertical peace

· Horizontal peace

· Internal peace

The Greek word translated “readiness” or “preparation” refers to the basis of something or the foundation; the firm footing of something. We are to be strong in the Lord, standing against Satan’s schemes, on the firm footing of knowing the good news that God is in control. Let me ask you some questions as examples.

How many of you have ever had God tell you to do something or not to do something and you wanted to do the right thing but you just couldn’t. How many of you have ever had somebody do something mean or wrong to you and you harbored a grudge against that person for years? How many of you have ever been scared about what was going to happen to you tomorrow or next week?

We have probably all been in all those situations and the answer to all three is having our feet shod with the readiness of the gospel of peace. You see, if God has told you not to do something and you keep on doing it then you need the gospel that brings vertical peace, up and down, between you and God. Romans 5:10 says that before we were Christians we were actually enemies with God. He loved you and sent Jesus to die for you but until we accept Jesus into our lives to be Lord and Savior, we are His enemies

But the good news is that once we accept Jesus we are considered friends with God. We are joint heirs with Jesus to all good things including a life of purpose and fulfillment and then eternal life with God in Heaven. It also means that we accept God as our spiritual Father who is sovereign, in control of everything and while we should have a fear of Him and His power it should also bring us great peace because we know God has proven Himself faithful over and over again; and not just faithful but very loving, compassionate and generous.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Do you understand that? When God tells us to do something or stop doing something and we refuse it is because somewhere in our minds we are not sure if we can trust Him. We say we believe Him and trust Him but our disobedience is proof otherwise. When difficult times come and we start to worry we take off those brass greaves that protect our shins and Satan hits us with a baseball bat of doubt and down we go. We slip. We fall. We sin.

Put on the good news, the Gospel, that God loves you and wants to make you like Him. It won’t always be easy. He never promises to give us everything we want. But He does promise to work for the good of those who love him and that brings vertical peace or peace between us and God. Another way it brings peace is horizontally, between us and others.

One of the reasons the Roman army was so successful was because they knew how to march and fight in formation, as a whole. The men in the front had their shields to the front. The men in the back had their shields to their backs. That way the whole platoon was protected from the spears and arrows of the enemy.

Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.” The good news of Christ should affect how we deal with others. When we know that everything that happens has to cross the desk of the Creator, Sustainer, Deliverer and our Friend, then we should be at peace with other people even when they mistreat us.

There is always going to be the potential for friction anytime two people show up at the same spot for anything even if it is the church. Adrian Rogers was a powerful Baptist preacher from a time not long ago. He was in a meeting one time when a young man stood up and said, “There is only one way to see this problem and that is this way…” When he got through explaining his way was the only way, Adrian Rogers said, “It’s a mighty thin pancake that only has one side!”

There is usually at least two ways to see a problem and that is going to lead to friction but it doesn’t have to mean that we slip and fall and bring shame to the Kingdom. It is an opportunity for us to show the peace that we have with God to the other person, knowing, again, that God is in control and is going to work to make all of us more like Him and to our good.

We had a Leadership Team meeting after church last Sunday and we voted on doing some things and we didn’t all think exactly alike but there was a wonderful unity and a loving spirit in that meeting and nobody got upset just because somebody thought differently than they did. But almost every other church has at least one Brother Thundermuffin. You know the guy. He always wants his way and if he doesn’t get it, he is going to complain and cause division in the church every chance he gets. Maybe you have one at work or school. Maybe you are married to him and if so, I’m sorry.

But knowing the Gospel; knowing that Jesus died on the cross, rose again and wants to have a relationship with you and loves you and knowing that He is in control… that ought to bring such peace that when Brother Thundermuffin stands up in a meeting and he is full of hot air and bad attitude and wrong ideas that instead of arguing over our preference, we let him have his way knowing that God is in control. We don’t compromise on truth but when it comes to preferences we show peace and let Brother Thundermuffin go home thinking, “What’s different about that person?”

I'll end this section by simply saying that every time there is disunity in the church, you can trace it back to sin somewhere.  Remember Colossians 3:15. “As members of one body, we are called to peace.”  And why wouldn't we have peace with others when we have such peace with God? 

The last way the gospel provides peace is internally.  I have two beautiful passages of scripture to illustrate this.  The first one is from Psalm 46 (1-3 and 10).

1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging. 10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

Though my body give way and my job fall into the sea.  Though my spouse roars and foams!  Be still and know that I am God.  That means to quit striving.  Quit running around trying to fix everything with your own power.  In fact, isn't that what Paul is telling us to do in our main passage?  He doesn’t say be strong in the Lord and then fix the problem or be strong and worry about it or be strong and try really, really hard. He says be strong in the Lord, and STAND!  Just accept God's peace and stand strong when Satan attacks.

The last passage I want to look at is in Habakkuk 3:17-19. 

17 Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.

With this last passage, I want you to go home and personalize it.  I want you to go home and substitute what sustains you in the place of what sustained Habakkuk.

Though the credit card gets declined and the bank account falls to zero, though the contract gets cancelled and the grocery store runs out of food.  Though there is no car in the garage and no clothes in the closet, yet will I rejoice in the Lord.  I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Can you say that this morning?  If not then your feet are not fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  And that may be because you don't know God well enough; you aren't close enough to Him.  Or it could mean that you don't know Him at all.

In John 14, we see Jesus comforting His friends who are going through a really rough time.  These words are a comfort to us as Christians today but they are also an invitation to those who have never accepted Him into their lives to be Lord and Savior. John 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me." Do that today as the music plays.

“Combat Training” #4

I was shocked, confused, bewildered as I entered Heaven’s door, not by the beauty of it all, nor the lights or its décor. But it was the folks in Heaven who made me sputter and gasp; the thieves, the liars, the sinners, the alcoholics and the trash.  There stood the kid from seventh grade who swiped my lunch money twice. Next to him was my old neighbor who never said anything nice. Herb, who I always thought was rotting away in hell, was sitting pretty on cloud nine, looking incredibly well. I nudged Jesus. “What’s the deal? I would love to hear your take. How’d all these sinners get up here? God must’ve made a mistake. And why’s everyone so quiet, so somber -- give me a clue.” “Hush, child,” He said, “they’re all in shock at the thought of seeing you."

This morning we are going to be talking about what the Bible says about righteousness; what it is, what it means, how to get it and the difference in righteousness and self-righteousness as shown in our opening poem but I also want to discover if there is any room for our own righteousness in our lives.

When I say “righteousness” many of you think about the kind of self-righteousness displayed in the poem; the kind of righteousness that Isaiah 64:6 says is like filthy rags and deserves to be thought of poorly.  Why, then, would Paul tell us to put on righteousness in our passage this morning?

Turn to Ephesians 6:10-18 and let’s take a look.

Finally, be strong in the LORD and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the LORD's people.

Paul tells us to put on the breastplate of righteousness in verse 14 and that is what I want to concentrate on today.  In the two previous weeks we have identified our enemy in this life and that is Satan and now we are looking at the armor and weapons we have at our disposal.

Last week we saw the importance of putting on the belt of truth and how, without believing and taking hold of absolute truth, we might as well not have any defense against the enemy.  We put on the belt of truth first and everything else hangs on that belt.  This week we will put on the breastplate of righteousness and attach it to the belt just like the Roman soldiers of Paul’s day.

A modern-day example of this would be the bullet-proof vest that military and law enforcement wear every day but in the days when Paul wrote Ephesians the Roman guard that was probably guarding him as he wrote this was probably wearing something made out of leather and metal. 

It was made up of small metal plates which were tied together in a similar fashion to the way roof tiles are placed on a roof. The armor was then placed over the shoulders to protect both the front and back of the soldier. The bottom of the armor was tied to the belt. On a Roman soldier’s armor, the breastplate was custom made to fit that soldier. It was specifically designed for him to protect him from attacks. This breastplate protected the soldier’s heart and major organs from a potentially devastating wound by protecting their area of weakness. Paul refers to this part of the armor as the breastplate of righteousness.

Some of you may be thinking about now that all of this “putting on the armor” stuff is a whole lot of work.  All you want to do is go to work and come home, minding your own business and here I am telling you that you have to put on belts, breastplates, shoes, helmets, etc.  You’re thinking, “Do I really have to do all of that?”

The answer, actually, is no.  You don’t have to do all of that.  But the Bible says that the devil prowls around like a roaring lion trying to kill you dead.  It says that he is the Accuser and that he stands before God constantly pointing out your every flaw to God.  In Job, Zechariah and Revelation it shows Satan standing before God saying something like, “Have you seen that Pastor Todd?  How can you call him your child?  He never does this and he’s always doing that and just the other day I heard him say such and such.”

And when he is not accusing you before God he is trying to steal your joy, your peace and your witness, not to mention your very life.  24/7, 365 he is constantly trying to do you in, one way or the other.  Do you really want to spend one minute without all your armor on?  And as we will see, this breastplate of righteousness will protect your very heart.

As we talk about righteousness I want us to see that there is more than one kind of righteousness.  There is self- righteousness, which as we have seen is as good for protecting you against the accusations of Satan as a filthy rag.  But there is also imputed righteousness and imparted righteousness.  Seeing the difference in these is critical but only if you want to stay alive spiritually and even physically.

I’m going to ask you a couple questions but don’t raise your hand.  Just think about it.  Do you know anyone who you would describe as self-righteous?  Probably.  There might even be some in this church.  Now, would you consider yourself to be self-righteous?  Probably not.  It’s a rare person that can consider his own life with such discernment that he can see his own self- righteousness.

It has been said that self-righteousness is the only disease that makes everyone sick except the person who has it.  None of us wants to see our own self-righteousness.  I looked up the word in the dictionary and it basically means to feel that you or your situation is better than the average person.  It was interesting that in the dictionary the word “sententiousness” is used as a synonym.  I’m thinking if you use the word “sententiousness” it may put you in the category of self-righteous.  That’s just a freebie.

What makes a person self-righteous?  Is it what he does or how much he does?  It has everything to do with motive.  What is your motive for doing what you do?  Motive is the difference between a filthy rag and a breastplate.  In Acts chapter 5 we see the story of Ananias and Sapphira.  They had seen others bring gifts of money to the church and they wanted that recognition so they sold a piece of property and turned the money over to the apostles but kept some back for themselves which would have been fine but they led the church to think they were giving all the money.

In Acts chapter 5 verse 3 Peter says, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?”  You know what happens after that.  Satan gets his wish as their witness and their very lives are lost immediately thereafter.  Did you catch that part where Peter says that Satan has filled your heart?  Self-righteousness is no breastplate that protects the heart.  It is a bull’s-eye.  Be aware of your motive.  It could make all the difference.

If you remember I said regarding Paul’s illustration of a breastplate, that a breastplate would be usually made of 2 things:  leather and metal.  So too is our breastplate of righteousness made up of 2 things.  I won’t insult you by trying to pronounce the original Greek word used for righteousness but it basically means to be right with God and it includes the imputed righteousness that God gives us through our belief in His Son Jesus and it includes the imparted righteousness that is done through us by Christ living in us.

Let’s look at imputed righteousness first.  When a person puts his faith in Jesus Christ, we are given a status of being righteous. This righteousness is God’s gift to us based on what Christ did for us on the cross.  If you look through a red piece of glass you will see things all red.  If you look through a blue piece of glass everything will be blue.  When God looks at us He sees us, as Christians, through Christ-colored lenses.

So when Satan says to God, “Look at what she has done.  She can’t be your child!”, you know what happens?  I John 2:1 says we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.  So when Satan attacks our character to the Great Judge, Jesus is our Lawyer and He says to the Father, “That debt has been paid in full by Me”.  That is imputed righteousness.  We don’t deserve it.  We didn’t earn it.  All we can do is accept it when we accept Jesus into our lives to save us and forgive us.

I have 3 verses to go along with our imputed righteousness.  "For as by one man’s (Adam) disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one (Jesus) shall many be made righteous." Romans 5:19
"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 2 Corinthians 5:21
"Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:" Romans 3:22

Imputed righteousness is one part of the breastplate of righteousness.  The other part is imparted righteousness.  If we are imputed with righteousness, then as a result Christ’ righteousness should flow out of us in righteous living!  Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

We all have good intentions, right?  We all want good things for ourselves.  We want good things for other people.  We want to do good things.  But you remember what makes something self-righteous?  Motive.  What Matthew 6:33 is saying is that when we go to God and say, “I can’t do this.  I want to do good but I’m afraid I’m going to make it about me.  I want your righteousness.”  When we seek first His righteousness all those good things will be given to you.  Maybe it is because God gives you what you want and maybe it happens when He changes what you want.

Either way, when we allow God to work through us, He does it right and He gets the glory and we get a blessing, maybe now, maybe later.  The temptation one may have is to say that since I have imputed righteousness and no matter what Satan says Jesus has me covered that I will just not do anything and it doesn’t matter if I sin.

It is very similar to when Paul says in Philippians 2:13 that we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.  We don’t do anything to deserve our salvation but once we are saved we let God work in our lives to prove our salvation.  It’s the same with His righteousness.  We don’t deserve His imputed righteousness but because we are righteous in His eyes we allow Him to prove that through our imparted righteousness.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was a powerful Baptist preacher in the late 1800’s.  Blackmailers once sent him a letter saying that if he did not place a certain amount of money at a certain place at a certain time then they would publish some things in the newspaper that would slander his good name and embarrass him, ruining his ministry.  Spurgeon left a note at the certain place that said, “You and your like are requested to publish all you know about me across the heavens.”  He knew his character was blameless before men and so they could not harm him.

Our heart is representative of our character, our drive, all our wants and needs.  When somebody says, “He put his heart into it” or “He has a lot of heart”, “she wanted it with all her heart” it says a lot about that person.  It tells you who they are and what their motives are.  That’s why Paul tells us to put on the breastplate of righteousness because it protects all of that.  Our imputed and imparted righteousness protects who we are and even what we want to be.  Don’t put on just part of the armor.  For your sake and for the sake of furthering the Kingdom, put on all of God’s armor.

I was looking at some bullet-proof vests yesterday. I thought it would be cool to have to use as an illustration here today. I wanted to get one that was military style and use it for today’s message and then keep it around as decoration with the other military stuff we have in our auditorium.

Now, I don’t really understand why civilians need these. Do you plan to wear it all the time or just when you go to the bad part of town or are you planning to rob a bank and expect to get shot? But anyway, I thought it would be cool to have…until I saw the price tag.  Let’s just say I didn’t want it bad enough. You know what I mean?

It’s the same way with the breastplate of righteousness for some people. Make no mistake, it’s not cheap. It will cost you and some people are just not willing to pay the price. How much does it cost? Well, let’s just say it may cost you your ability to do whatever you want. If you want the breastplate of righteousness it will cost you your ability to say what other people say, do what other people do and go where other people go. You can’t live like the world and expect to wear this piece of armor. It will not fit over worldly clothes.

The breastplate of righteousness is being right with God which means knowing what pleases Him and being obedient to do it all the time. When we sin there is a barrier between us and God so we have to immediately ask for forgiveness. Sinning doesn’t mean we lose our salvation. We still have the imputed righteousness of God, but sin keeps us from having the imparted righteousness until we repent of (turn away from) that sin and ask God for forgiveness.

I see people all the time with flaming arrows of sin sticking in their hearts and they can’t understand why they can’t overcome this or that problem and I want to scream at them to get out of that worldly lifestyle and put on your armor. I know it’s not easy but if you want to protect your heart from the evil one and be blessed by God then you have just one choice. Put on the breastplate of righteousness. Put on the full armor of God and then stand as He fights for you.

Maybe you need to do that today. This is our time of invitation and prayer. I would love to pray with you about anything in your life. Maybe you want to join the church or rededicate your life or maybe you have never asked Jesus to be Lord of your life and to forgive you and you need to do that today. Do it right now. Choose you this day whom you will serve. As for me and Christ Fellowship, we will serve the Lord.

“Combat Training 3” – Ephesians 6:10-18 – Belt of Truth

Don’t make a big deal out of it but turn and glance at your neighbor on your right.  See that person? Now, turn and look at the person on your left.  Just a glance is all you need. I want you to know that person is not the enemy. Now, if you are married, it may seem that way at times but I promise you that person is not the enemy.

Your neighbor down the street that walks his dogs through your yard…not your enemy. Your boss that steals your ideas and gets a raise for it…not him either. Oh, make no mistake. We are in a battle and the enemy is real but it is not North Korea or Iran or Russia or Isis. Those are not our true enemies.

The Bible tells us that our enemies are spiritual. Now, when I say that, some of you might relax and think I am talking about mythical enemies or ghosts with white sheets over their heads but the word “spiritual” does not mean fairy tale no matter what some people think.

I read a poll from the Barna Research Group that showed nearly 2/3 of American adults believe that Satan is not a living being but a symbol of evil. It said that even among evangelical Christians, 52% deny Satan’s existence which explains why one of the largest battlefields is in the American church. We have seen just in this church how Satan will tempt us to sin or cause bad things to happen to us just because we are believers and Satan hates us.

We have seen and we know the cycle. You remember the cycle. God blesses. The people are obedient…and what happens next? Satan attacks. It’s all through the Old Testament and into the New Testament and into our lives as well. It is a battle and we are on the front lines. So far, we have gone through Boot Camp and learned the basics. Now we are in Combat Training where we have seen that we are fighting a spiritual battle but since we are physical we have to fight in God’s power and His strength as it says in Ephesians 6.

We face a spiritual enemy that wants us to be not only spiritually but physically dead.  Did you hear what I said?  Our spiritual enemy wants us to be spiritually and even physically dead.  Now, when I say that, some of you may be thinking I'm being a bit dramatic because surely spiritual enemies only fight spiritual battles, right?

How do you think Job would answer that?  In Job chapters one and two, Satan actually approaches God and basically asks for permission to afflict Job with all sorts of physical problems.  He kills his children.  That's pretty physical.  He afflicted him with sores from head to toe.  That's pretty physical.  And he kills all of his livestock.  Those are all very physical problems.  Yes, it affected him spiritually but it was a physical attack.

What is the very first reaction of Job?  Does he curse God?  Does he make excuses?  Does he claim to know the problem or the answer?  Does he blame somebody else?  Does he allow his emotions to dictate his thoughts?  No.  The very first thing Job does is what Paul later tells us to do and that is Job buckled the belt of truth around his waist.  In Job 1:21 the first thing Job says is, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away."

Job here is falling back on truth.  He could have justified any other response but he made the decision to, as some versions say, gird his loins with truth.  What Job is saying is that God is sovereign.  He allows all things.  All things have to cross the desk of God and get his approval.  Job doesn't lie and say it is ok or that he understands why it happened but the first thing he does is realize, believe and hold on to truth.

Turn to Ephesians 6:10-18.  I want to focus on just one part of verse 14 this morning but it is important that we read the whole passage to remind ourselves of the context in which it was written. 

Finally, be strong in the LORD and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the LORD's people.

 Read 14a again. After reading this, I want us to see just two things:  What is truth?  And why does it matter?

I first want to think about why Paul used the Roman soldier's uniform as this analogy.  I mean, it fits perfectly but what brought this to his mind?  I have an idea that being chained between two Roman guards night and day would give you a pretty good opportunity to see firsthand what all was involved with getting suited for battle.  Paul says later in the chapter that he is an ambassador in chains.

Can you imagine getting assigned to guard Paul as a Roman soldier?  "Oh, no!  Not that guy again!  All he wants to talk about is Jesus."  Well, obviously Paul noticed how these soldiers were dressed as he was being guarded and makes use of them in this illustration.

Our idea of a belt doesn't do this word justice.  The Roman soldier's belt was actually a thick and wide leather piece that not only was used to tuck in his tunic so he could move around easily, it was also used much like a modern policeman's belt to hold some of his weapons.  It also provided support for his lower back and abdomen.  The breastplate was then fastened to the belt as well.  The belt was not just an adornment, but an essential piece of the armor that held everything else together.

It’s actually not surprising at all that the first piece of armor that we are to put on in preparation for our battle with Satan is the belt of truth. As we saw last week, Satan is a liar and his main weapon is his deceitful schemes. The truth is the primary weapon that we use to stand firm against his lies and deceit.

We have talked about this before but what is truth?  The original Greek word for this truth is "aletheuo".  It is slightly different from the word Jesus used when He said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life..."  This "truth" means to know and speak reality.  Paul uses this exact same word in chapter 4 of Ephesians when he tells us to speak the truth in love. So, what am I talking about when I say absolute truth?

I remember years ago talking to a lady about how to be saved.  I told her that Jesus was the only way and that when we accept Him into our lives to be Lord he will forgive our sins and we can have a relationship with Him and spend eternity in Heaven.  I remember she said she was glad that I had that and she was sure that was true for me but she preferred to get to Heaven another way and that was her truth.

No, no, no.  I told her the absolute truth.  I told her aletheuo.  Absolute truth is truth that is true for you and for me and for everybody yesterday, today and tomorrow.  Some examples of absolute truth include

• God is the all-knowing and all-powerful creator of the universe who still rules it today;
• Jesus Christ never sinned
• Satan is real
• Salvation is received through faith in Christ, not by good deeds
• Every follower of Christ has a responsibility to share their faith with non-believers
• The Bible is accurate in all that it teaches

There are many others.  When someone comes to you and says they are living in a lifestyle that is contrary to what God approves of what do they always say?  "I do this and that BUT it's ok because of ..." or "I don't do this or that BUT it's ok because...".

I cheat on my wife because she doesn't love me.  I have to work on Sundays or I would come to church.  I had to lie to her or she would be mad.  I had to steal that because I can't afford one and he can.

I'm sure God in Heaven is saying, "Oh yea, I wrote those 10 Commandments but if you have a note from your mother I'll give you a pass.  It's not that big of a deal."  In the book of Exodus, when Moses came down the mountain with the 10 Commandments it says that the people actually backed away and told Moses to talk to them from a distance because they didn't want God to talk to them or they were afraid they would die.

Today we know what the truth is we just choose to put our fingers in our ears and say, "nanny, nanny, nanny" as we live however we want to.  We know what the truth is but it's not always easy and sometimes it makes us uncomfortable.  If I hear any more about comfort I am going to be sick.  Everybody wants to be comfortable.  We all have to make sure that nothing we say or do makes anyone uncomfortable.  Talking about Jesus in school makes people uncomfortable.  Standing up for the sanctity of life or against gay marriage makes some people uncomfortable.

You know why it makes people uncomfortable?  Because it is truth.  It is aletheuo.  And when people are living contrary to truth God allows them to be uncomfortable.  Jesus Himself said in Matthew 10:34, "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."  Jesus didn't come to make people comfortable.  His coming brought conflict - conflict between Himself and Satan, as we have seen in this passage; conflict between His followers and Satan's followers, between light and darkness and between lies and truth.

We know what the truth is and sometimes it is uncomfortable.  Now let's look at why it matters. 

Have you ever noticed how often what is said in Sunday School directly relates to what is later said in the sermon?  And how what is said in the sermon directly relates to something we learn on Wednesday night and relates to what you are going through Friday morning?  Do you know how we do that?  Well, the Leadership Team meets every week with Ben and me and we decide what is going to be taught and what conversations are going to happen and how the music will relate to all those things and make it match up to what is happening in your life this week.

And most of you are thinking right now, "He is preaching on truth and telling a lie!"  No, we don't do that.  The Holy Spirit does that when our church preaches and teaches and sings about truth.  When it all matches up then God blesses that and uses all of that together to bless and encourage and prove what is heard.  Our very unity depends on truth.  If somebody comes in and starts teaching something that is not truth then there will be a division; something else Paul knew all too well.

Now, let me tell you another reason why truth matters.  Let's say you are studying your Bible in your quiet time tomorrow morning and you stumble across a passage that doesn't make sense to you.  So you study it and pray about it and get out a commentary or two and you realize that this verse is not true.  You read in James 5:16, for example, that fervent prayer is powerful and effective.  But in every other place that talks about prayer it says that it is only good for making you feel good or maybe it is just a ritual that we are supposed to do.  What then?

I'll tell you what happens to me.  If I find a passage, a verse or a word that is not true in the Bible, I become an Atheist.  If there is one word that is not truth, aletheuo, then how can you believe any of it?  But in my studies, I have found everything written from cover to cover to be absolute truth.  I have learned firsthand that fervent prayer is powerful and effective.  I can give you examples.  God continues to reveal to me the depth of truth in His Word and without truth everything falls apart.

Remember, Paul said this was the belt of truth.  And like a Roman soldier's belt, everything hangs on it.  Without truth then we have lost the sword of the Spirit, the breastplate of righteousness goes twisting around, the helmet of salvation is useless if the rest of us is uncovered and we might as well join the other side before we get a flaming arrow in the heart.

But when we put on the belt of truth before we do anything else we know we will be able to stand because we know that when God says there are benefits to obedience and consequences of disobedience, we know it's true.  When God says thou shalt not we don't make any excuses.  When we see the blessings of truth in our church we accept nothing that isn't.

Knowing truth doesn't mean you will be free from trouble but like Job, when trouble comes we will be able to say, "God, I don't understand.  This isn't fair.  It doesn't make sense but I know that you are sovereign.  You are in control and You love me.  And so I trust You and I will stand in the battle.  I will stand when the enemy attacks.  I will be strong in You and in Your mighty power."