19 September 2010
Taking Our Stand (Part IV)
September/20/2010 09:31 AM
Ephesians 6:10-14: "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the evil day comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place....."
For the last few weeks we've been discussing the divine weaponry that God has provided in order for us to stand firm in any storm of life. The next piece of armor we must pick up and put on is the breastplate of righteousness.
The breastplate, for a soldier, has a very important purpose, to protect the most vital organs of the body. Our spiritual breastplate is like a bullet-proof (or flaming arrow - proof!) vest that protects our heart. What did we obtain when we accepted Jesus in our hearts? Yes, the obvious answer is salvation; but just as important is our new position of righteousness! We are now people in "right standing" with God. God is righteous and sinless. Our sin separated us from a holy God that cannot fellowship with sin and darkness. The Bible says:
Romans 3:23: "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
When Jesus died on the cross, He took the complete punishment for our sins, and we were totally forgiven. Our sins were literally placed on Jesus, the perfect, sinless Lamb of God. He then rose from the dead defeating Satan, sin and death.
When we accept what Jesus did for us, we receive a complete cleansing and we are transformed into a brand new creation! It's as if we never even sinned! The righteousness of God was given freely as a gift. When God looks at us, He no longer sees our sins, but he sees the blood of His son. God sees us as righteous! We are no longer separated from Him!
II Cor. 5:21: "For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sins, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."
Righteousness is the condition of our heart which sets the direction of our life. When we put on our breastplate of righteousness we are boldly standing in the position Jesus provided. The breastplate also protects us from sin creeping back into our hearts. The righteous one will always know the word and keep it in their hearts.
Psalm 119:11 says, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you"
When we are fighting Satan's kingdom, we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but we are fighting against his control over people. He has them bound by sin and under his power; just as we once were.
Satan would love for us to neglect to wear our breastplate of righteousness. If he can snare us with a sin, he knows we can't help others to be free!
Jude 1:23 says, "Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. There are still others to whom you need to show mercy, but be careful that you aren't contaminated by their sins."
Hebrews 12:1 "...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles us."
We must keep God's word filling our hearts and guiding our thoughts to steer clear from sin; especially those particular sins that once held us captive. We must be conscience of where we are weak and not put ourselves in a position to give into that old temptation. We have our armor but we must put it on and stand!
Remember that God gave us His righteousness as a precious and powerful gift. If it's a gift, then we can't earn it. If we can't earn it, then we can't obtain it in our own strength any more than we could resist sin in our own strength! But it is not our strength; it’s God's strength!
If we have the breastplate of righteousness in place, then we can go out into a world full of sin and still live a righteous, holy lifestyle. When Satan shoots the flaming arrows to attack with a trial, tribulation or temptation, our breastplate protects our hearts, deflecting every one! We can't be defeated with our armor in place and God on our side!
Proverbs 13:6 "Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner."
Ephesians 4:24 "And to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."
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