The Armor of God #1: The Belt of Truth
I believe that this church is at an important juncture in our history. We have a vital opportunity to move forward, to do exciting things for Jesus Christ, to touch this community and even the world with God’s love. We are starting new Bible
studies, we are looking for new ways to reach out, being God’s hands and feet, and soon we will be gathering to determine the future course of our ministry.
It is an exciting time, but it can also be a difficult time. You see, the more we try to follow God’s will, the more we end up being attacked by Satan.
Some of you know all too well how that feels. You’ve felt inundated with spiritual attacks. I know how that feels – there have been weeks, even months, where my family has been a spiritual battleground – which is one reason why I need you to pray for us every day. It can be difficult to fight against an unseen opponent – but if you are feeling discouraged, take heart. This sermon series is for you!
Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us the following:
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power as you fight against the spiritual forces of evil. How exactly do we do this? We put on every piece of God’s armor.
Did you notice that Paul told his followers that to “stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth”? He said this because truth is the ground on which we may stand. If truth is undermined, then the ground we stand on will be unsteady. When we stand our ground on the truth, however, we have steady, sure footing.
What is so important about truth? This is the question asked by post-moderns everywhere – and whose truth are we talking about? And how can truth protect us?
Before He went to the cross, Jesus prayed several important prayers. Among them was a prayer for His followers, in which He prayed this: “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.”
Point number one is this: God’s word is truth.
It is vitally important that we know God’s Word. Many have been led astray because they don’t know the Word. They have an idea that something must be in there, because they’ve heard it again and again and it sounds like it ought to be in the Bible. Then when someone comes along with a slick message that sounds good, they fall for it. Some cleverly use proof-texts, the fancy word for taking scripture out of context to say what you want it to say, and others, less sophisticated, write their own translation of the Bible to suit their ideas. Don’t be fooled by impostors; God’s word is truth.
It is important that we invest our time in the study of God’s word, because it is truth, and this truth protects us from the lies that Satan throws at us. Satan tells us that we are not good enough – the Bible tells us that we are God’s children, made in His image. Satan tells us that our checkered pasts are enough to disqualify us from true Kingdom service – the Bible tells us that we are new people – our pasts are forgiven and everything is new. In the realm of spiritual warfare, identity is of utmost importance. The fact is, our lives are built around what we believe to be true. Obviously all of you believe that the pews you sit on are truly there – otherwise you’d be on the floor. We all believe in the truth of gravity – I haven’t seen anyone tethering themselves to the ground to keep from falling up. And if we believe the truth of God’s word, we will build our lives around that Truth.
If you read John’s gospel, you will find that Jesus is even called the Word – John 1 starts out by saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” What this means is that Jesus Himself is the Word. And if God’s Word is truth, then Jesus is the Truth. Jesus confirms this in John 14:6 where He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
Truth is vitally important – nobody comes to God except through Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus Christ is the only way to God. Outside Jesus Christ there is no life. And Jesus Christ is the ultimate embodiment of Truth.
We protect ourselves from Satan’s attacks by identifying ourselves with Jesus Christ. Do you know that the word Christian identifies us with Christ? By claiming the name Christian, we are claiming a part of His truth. When we identify ourselves with Christ, we declare to Satan that we are not his. But even moreso, we admit that we are not our own; we have been bought with a great price.
In John 8:31-32, Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
The truth will set you free. Isn’t that a wonderful thought – being free? But what does it mean that the truth will set us free?
This statement works on two levels. First of all, Jesus is the Truth – and His sacrifice on the cross frees us from the guilt and power of sin. Because of what He did, we are no longer slaves to sin – instead we are free to follow Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Satan doesn’t have power over us anymore. Our old sinful lives don’t define us anymore. We are free!
On a practical level, truth sets us free as well. Have you ever been trapped by a lie? When I was in 5th grade, I once told my mom I was going to stay at the school yard until soccer practice. What I didn’t tell her was that at our last soccer practice, the coach had canceled that day’s practice, so I had decided to go to my friend Marc’s house. But you know how sometimes kids don’t take the messages home – our coach knew that, and he called each home to tell the parents. So my mom thought I just didn’t know about soccer practice being canceled and went to the schoolyard to look for me. Oops – caught in a lie.
Funny – if I had just told her that practice was canceled – could I go to Marc’s after school? – she probably would have let me go!
It’s easy to be caught up in a lie. Then one lie requires another lie to protect yourself from being caught. “Let’s just get our story straight,” you say, but pretty soon, it’s such a tangled web that nobody could keep it together. On the other hand, the truth will set us free.
One summer I was working construction with a friend and we were dismantling this garage. We threw the rickety old attic ladder into the dumpster, but it seemed that our boss wasn’t happy about it. In the morning, he came to me fuming. “Chad threw that ladder away!” I told him, “No, actually that was me. If you want, I can retrieve it from the dumpster.” It turned out that he had accosted Chad in the same way.
The truth set us free.
Truth, however, is more than just “not a lie”. We’ve heard the phrase, “Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” so often that it doesn’t mean anything anymore – especially because in courtrooms, that’s often not what happens at all!
Sometimes the truth hurts. A big turning point in my life was when a Christian fraternity brother approached me and said, “You first introduced me to Christ, but now I don’t see you living that lifestyle.” The truth hurt, but when he told me the truth, it was the most loving thing he could do for me. Sometimes the truth hurts – but then it heals.
The healing truth is sometimes called accountability. When one Christian holds another to the standard to which we both are supposed to live, we both grow. I’ve seen both sides of this. I’ve been in a group where we held each other accountable. We had a series of questions we would ask each other weekly – questions like “Did you give your best at work or school this week?” “Did you spend significant quality time with your family and friends?” “Did you look at anyone lustfully?” “Did you tell any half-truths or outright lies
Truth has many enemies – not only lies. One huge enemy of the truth is gossip.
Let me be really clear with you when I say this: gossip is an enemy of the truth. If you don’t want certain people to know about it, then don’t tell people. If you have to say, “Now I’m not supposed to say anything,” then don’t say anything. If someone starts with gossip, your duty as a Christian is to cut it off – ask bluntly, “Is this gossip?”
Now, don’t get me wrong – there is a time and a place for confidentiality, and that is not a bad thing. But the difference is this: gossip is about someone else, while a confidential statement is generally about yourself. If you come and talk to me about something going on in your life, unless you instruct me otherwise, I will keep it confidential. A problem with gossip is that it stretches the truth and undermines relationships. And when we do so, we allow the devil a foothold.
The bottom line here is that truth is the first defense we have against Satan’s schemes. Satan tries to erode our relationships with one another and with God by undermining the truth. So we can protect ourselves by holding firm to the truth. Read and follow God’s word. Keep others accountable and allow them to keep you accountable. And speak the truth – no lies and no gossip. And continue to prayerfully put on God’s armor every day.
studies, we are looking for new ways to reach out, being God’s hands and feet, and soon we will be gathering to determine the future course of our ministry.It is an exciting time, but it can also be a difficult time. You see, the more we try to follow God’s will, the more we end up being attacked by Satan.
Some of you know all too well how that feels. You’ve felt inundated with spiritual attacks. I know how that feels – there have been weeks, even months, where my family has been a spiritual battleground – which is one reason why I need you to pray for us every day. It can be difficult to fight against an unseen opponent – but if you are feeling discouraged, take heart. This sermon series is for you!
Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us the following:
A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power as you fight against the spiritual forces of evil. How exactly do we do this? We put on every piece of God’s armor.
Did you notice that Paul told his followers that to “stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth”? He said this because truth is the ground on which we may stand. If truth is undermined, then the ground we stand on will be unsteady. When we stand our ground on the truth, however, we have steady, sure footing.
What is so important about truth? This is the question asked by post-moderns everywhere – and whose truth are we talking about? And how can truth protect us?
Before He went to the cross, Jesus prayed several important prayers. Among them was a prayer for His followers, in which He prayed this: “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.”
Point number one is this: God’s word is truth.
It is vitally important that we know God’s Word. Many have been led astray because they don’t know the Word. They have an idea that something must be in there, because they’ve heard it again and again and it sounds like it ought to be in the Bible. Then when someone comes along with a slick message that sounds good, they fall for it. Some cleverly use proof-texts, the fancy word for taking scripture out of context to say what you want it to say, and others, less sophisticated, write their own translation of the Bible to suit their ideas. Don’t be fooled by impostors; God’s word is truth.
It is important that we invest our time in the study of God’s word, because it is truth, and this truth protects us from the lies that Satan throws at us. Satan tells us that we are not good enough – the Bible tells us that we are God’s children, made in His image. Satan tells us that our checkered pasts are enough to disqualify us from true Kingdom service – the Bible tells us that we are new people – our pasts are forgiven and everything is new. In the realm of spiritual warfare, identity is of utmost importance. The fact is, our lives are built around what we believe to be true. Obviously all of you believe that the pews you sit on are truly there – otherwise you’d be on the floor. We all believe in the truth of gravity – I haven’t seen anyone tethering themselves to the ground to keep from falling up. And if we believe the truth of God’s word, we will build our lives around that Truth.
If you read John’s gospel, you will find that Jesus is even called the Word – John 1 starts out by saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” What this means is that Jesus Himself is the Word. And if God’s Word is truth, then Jesus is the Truth. Jesus confirms this in John 14:6 where He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
Truth is vitally important – nobody comes to God except through Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Jesus Christ is the only way to God. Outside Jesus Christ there is no life. And Jesus Christ is the ultimate embodiment of Truth.
We protect ourselves from Satan’s attacks by identifying ourselves with Jesus Christ. Do you know that the word Christian identifies us with Christ? By claiming the name Christian, we are claiming a part of His truth. When we identify ourselves with Christ, we declare to Satan that we are not his. But even moreso, we admit that we are not our own; we have been bought with a great price.
In John 8:31-32, Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
The truth will set you free. Isn’t that a wonderful thought – being free? But what does it mean that the truth will set us free?
This statement works on two levels. First of all, Jesus is the Truth – and His sacrifice on the cross frees us from the guilt and power of sin. Because of what He did, we are no longer slaves to sin – instead we are free to follow Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Satan doesn’t have power over us anymore. Our old sinful lives don’t define us anymore. We are free!
On a practical level, truth sets us free as well. Have you ever been trapped by a lie? When I was in 5th grade, I once told my mom I was going to stay at the school yard until soccer practice. What I didn’t tell her was that at our last soccer practice, the coach had canceled that day’s practice, so I had decided to go to my friend Marc’s house. But you know how sometimes kids don’t take the messages home – our coach knew that, and he called each home to tell the parents. So my mom thought I just didn’t know about soccer practice being canceled and went to the schoolyard to look for me. Oops – caught in a lie.
Funny – if I had just told her that practice was canceled – could I go to Marc’s after school? – she probably would have let me go!
It’s easy to be caught up in a lie. Then one lie requires another lie to protect yourself from being caught. “Let’s just get our story straight,” you say, but pretty soon, it’s such a tangled web that nobody could keep it together. On the other hand, the truth will set us free.
One summer I was working construction with a friend and we were dismantling this garage. We threw the rickety old attic ladder into the dumpster, but it seemed that our boss wasn’t happy about it. In the morning, he came to me fuming. “Chad threw that ladder away!” I told him, “No, actually that was me. If you want, I can retrieve it from the dumpster.” It turned out that he had accosted Chad in the same way.
The truth set us free.
Truth, however, is more than just “not a lie”. We’ve heard the phrase, “Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” so often that it doesn’t mean anything anymore – especially because in courtrooms, that’s often not what happens at all!
Sometimes the truth hurts. A big turning point in my life was when a Christian fraternity brother approached me and said, “You first introduced me to Christ, but now I don’t see you living that lifestyle.” The truth hurt, but when he told me the truth, it was the most loving thing he could do for me. Sometimes the truth hurts – but then it heals.
The healing truth is sometimes called accountability. When one Christian holds another to the standard to which we both are supposed to live, we both grow. I’ve seen both sides of this. I’ve been in a group where we held each other accountable. We had a series of questions we would ask each other weekly – questions like “Did you give your best at work or school this week?” “Did you spend significant quality time with your family and friends?” “Did you look at anyone lustfully?” “Did you tell any half-truths or outright lies
Truth has many enemies – not only lies. One huge enemy of the truth is gossip.
Let me be really clear with you when I say this: gossip is an enemy of the truth. If you don’t want certain people to know about it, then don’t tell people. If you have to say, “Now I’m not supposed to say anything,” then don’t say anything. If someone starts with gossip, your duty as a Christian is to cut it off – ask bluntly, “Is this gossip?”
Now, don’t get me wrong – there is a time and a place for confidentiality, and that is not a bad thing. But the difference is this: gossip is about someone else, while a confidential statement is generally about yourself. If you come and talk to me about something going on in your life, unless you instruct me otherwise, I will keep it confidential. A problem with gossip is that it stretches the truth and undermines relationships. And when we do so, we allow the devil a foothold.
The bottom line here is that truth is the first defense we have against Satan’s schemes. Satan tries to erode our relationships with one another and with God by undermining the truth. So we can protect ourselves by holding firm to the truth. Read and follow God’s word. Keep others accountable and allow them to keep you accountable. And speak the truth – no lies and no gossip. And continue to prayerfully put on God’s armor every day.
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