Meadowbrooke Church

Rahab, A New Beginning

Many of us are probably familiar to some extent with Rahab, the Jericho prostitute who turns to God and is spared along with her family when the Israelites destroy the city.  But there is much more to her story that should cause us to marvel at God’s mercy and grace, and warn us against hypocrisy. 
 
Let’s go look at where we encounter her.  Israel had sent out two spies to check out Jericho.  They go to the home of Rahab, the prostitute, where presumably it would not be unusual to find strangers.  But someone alerts the authorities and Rahab is told to turn over the men.  She covers for them and hides them on her roof.  A search party begins looking for them near the Jordan River. 
 
Joshua 2:8-21
8 Now before [a]the spies lay down, she came up to them on the roof, 9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have despaired because of you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the [b]Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you [c]utterly destroyed. 11 When we heard these reports, our hearts melted and no [d]courage remained in anyone any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth below. 12 Now then, please swear to me by the Lord, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of [e]truth, 13 and [f]spare my father and my mother, and my brothers and my sisters, and all who belong to them, and save our [g]lives from death.” 14 So the men said to her, “Our [h]life [i]for yours if you do not tell this business of ours; and it shall come about when the Lord gives us the land that we will deal kindly and [j]faithfully with you.”
15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall, so that she was living on the wall. 16 And she said to them, “Go to the hill country, so that the pursuers will not encounter you, and hide yourselves there for three days until the pursuers return. Then afterward you may go on your way.” 17 And the men said to her, “We shall be exempt from this oath [k]to you which you have made us swear, 18 [l]unless, when we come into the land, you tie this cord of scarlet thread in the window through which you let us down, and gather into your house your father, your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household. 19 And it shall come about that anyone who goes out of the doors of your house outside will have [m]his blood on his own head, and we will be innocent; but anyone who is with you in the house, his blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on him. 20 But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be exempt from the oath which you have made us swear.” 21 She then said, “According to your words, so be it.” So she sent them away, and they departed; and she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
Let’s think about a couple of things. First: How did God communicate with Rahab?  By dream? By vision? How did she learn that Yahweh was the one true God?  However He did it, we must be humbled by the love and concern God showed to a woman who was part of an accursed tribe and who lived an immoral lifestyle. 
 
Second: Think about the scarlet cord hanging out her window.  Where else do we see in Scripture that a red mark protects everyone inside a dwelling?  The night of Passover, when the blood of the lamb on the lintel and doorposts protected those who were inside.  Here is another picture of Passover, but this one is not protecting Israelites, but pagan Canaanites! Were these Hebrew spies thinking about how their relatives had been spared from wrath by a similar process? Here is an example of faith resulting in right standing with God apart from the Law, just like Abraham, proving that God is no respecter of persons. 
 
Now we pick up in Joshua Chapter 6. 
 
Most of us know how Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, so we will skip to the relevant portion for our study today:
 
 
Joshua 6:20-25
“So the people shouted, and [g]the priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout, and the wall fell down [h]flat, so that the people went up into the city, everyone straight [i]ahead, and they took the city. 21 They [j]utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, sheep, and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
22 And Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring the woman and all she has out of there, just as you have sworn to her.” 23 So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives, and placed them outside the camp of Israel. 24 Then they burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold, and the articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the [k]house of the Lord. 25 However, Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all she had, Joshua [l]spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
 
Let’s think about this first from Rahab’s perspective.  She and her family have been listening to utter chaos and terror outside her house.  The screams of people and animals as they are brutally slaughtered.  Then, there is, literally, a deathly quiet, and then there is a knock at the door.  With great trepidation, they open the door and step out into a living nightmare.  Everything destroyed.  All people, all livestock, all structures.  Everybody Rahab and her family knew was dead, their corpses lying mutilated on the ground.   Spared, but unclean, she and her family are put “outside the camp.” So was Jesus. 
 
Hebrews 13:11-13
 
For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the Holy Place by the high priest as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp.  Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood.  So then, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.”
 
Jesus has a special affinity for those who are rejected, scorned, despised by the in crowd, just as Rahab was and many others.  He personally experienced that same rejection, and invites us to journey with Him to where He resides with those whom He has rescued from rejection.
 
Back to Jericho.  Imagine the terror of what Rahab’s family was feeling.  You are now totally dependent on these people who just destroyed your city and killed all your friends and neighbors.  You are feeling not just terror, but profound loneliness and sense of loss.  Imagine if Russians invaded and killed everybody in your city except you, and now you were dependent on them. 
What about the other side?  As Israelites, you were warned to kill all the Canaanites completely, to avoid being infected with their idols.  Now, what do you do with this family?  I’m sure some advocated to let them starve.  They only promised to spare their lives from the destruction of Jericho.  There were no promises about feeding and caring for them.  But Rahab knew that Yahweh was the God of heaven and earth.  God had somehow revealed Himself to her, and He would not see her abandoned.
 
But she is a profound sinner, from a foreign culture, filled with idolatrous practices, living in enforced isolation.  How does she become discipled, and an important figure in Jewish history?  Yes.  That is exactly what happens to her, but we have to fill in the details with our imagination.  As with the mystery of Melchizedek, sometimes the most profound biblical stories are about what’s left out of the narrative. 
 
There had to have been interaction between Rahab’s family and the Israelites.  Probably, there was daily interaction as more merciful heads prevailed and food was delivered to keep them alive.  But that doesn’t solve the problem.  Keeping her alive doesn’t equate to discipleship. 
 
I can imagine a godly woman provoking her husband to think about these poor people and shouldn’t someone try to teach Rahab and her family about the Lord?  I’m sure the idea was met with apprehension at first.  “What if we get infected with their idolatry?  No, it’s too risky.  Too bad they weren’t born Jews.”
 
Time passes, but somewhere along the line, at least Rahab is discipled, probably by one of those godly wives who kept persisting until her husband acquiesced!  Rahab responds and learns well.  In fact, she surpasses most of the young Israelite women in her devotion to the Lord, and becomes known for her character and the radical transformation of a changed life.  How do we know that?  Because of something revealed in the Book of Ruth and a one-sentence reference in Matthew Chapter 1. 
 
 
So, let’s turn our attention first to Ruth.
 
If you are not familiar with Ruth, it is a short book packed with depth and meaning.  The story centers around a family from Bethlehem, a husband named Elimelech and his wife Naomi.  They have two sons, Mahlon and Chilion.  A severe drought causes them to move east across the Jordan river to the area of Moab, where Naomi stays for 10 years.  While there, her husband dies.  Her sons marry Moabite women.  But then her sons die, and she is left in Moab with her two daughters-in-law, Orpah, and Ruth.  Naomi hears that the drought is gone in Bethlehem and she decides to return, and tries to convince her daughters-in-law to stay in Moab.  Orpah does, but Ruth insists on going to Bethlehem with Naomi and staying with her until her death, and will worship the God of Israel.  So, they return.
 
When they arrive in Bethlehem, it is the beginning of the barley harvest, probably mid-April.  How to get food?  Well, Ruth goes out to glean in the common area which the landowners use, and she just happens to get connected with a man named Boaz.  We need to learn something about Boaz.  He is described as “gibbor,” which is sometimes translated as “mighty man.”  It implies he is a man of substance and character, and when we read Ruth, we are touched by his compassion and concern both for Naomi and for Ruth.  He is impressed by Ruth’s devotion to Naomi, and her willingness to seek shelter under Yahweh’s wings.
 
Interestingly, he is also a kinsman redeemer (Leviticus 25:47-55) to Naomi, and is willing to redeem her land including the necessity of giving her offspring through Ruth, the Moabitess.  He was willing to marry a foreign woman.  Boaz and Ruth had a child, Obed, who was the grandfather of David.  Ruth 4:21-22.  So, Ruth the Moabite woman participates in establishing the earthly lineage of the Messiah. 
 
We are told in Ruth 4:21 that Salmon (or Salma) begot Boaz. We don’t know from the account here who Boaz’ mother is, but Matthew clears that up for us.   
 
Matthew 1:5 tells us “Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, and Obed fathered Jesse.”
 
Salmon was the father of Boaz, and Boaz’ mother is Rahab.  Interestingly, she is not referred to as “Rahab the Harlot,” just Rahab.  She is a harlot no more.
 
Remember, Boaz is a man of influence and character in Bethlehem.  There is no doubt that Boaz’ character was formed in large part due to his mother’s influence.  She would have had to be a woman of great moral character to attract the attention of Salmon.
 
Knowing people as we do, we can be sure that Salmon was scorned and rejected by some of his peers for marrying a former pagan harlot.  That took a lot of courage on his part.  And think about his parents!  Let’s say our son came home all excited about this woman he met at a Bible study, who had been a sexual abuse victim by her stepdad, ran away from home, wound up on Colfax Avenue in Denver, was befriended by a man who turned out to be a pimp, got her strung out on fentanyl, and trafficked her as a prostitute?  Sound like something that happens every day.  But she had been arrested, detoxed, came to Christ while in substance abuse treatment, and was now a very godly young woman in love with Jesus.  We love to hear stories like that. 
 
But what if our son decided he wanted to marry her? Would we be accepting of her as a redeemed child of God, or would we be concerned about our family’s reputation, and suggest he seek out a virgin from one of the “good” families from his Awana’s group? 
 
What if your son said, “But what about that verse in Second Corinthians Five?
 
2 Corinthians 5:17
 
If anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
 
Is that true, or not?”
 
Do we feel the conviction of hypocrisy as we contemplate our reaction?  Are we interested more in what serves God’s purposes, or being concerned about what our peer group will think? 
 
Remember, God chose Rahab and Ruth (and Tamar, for that matter) to be mothers of men in the lineage of Christ.  He did that on purpose to teach us something about His mercy and grace.
No doubt, Boaz’ own family history was a strong influence for him to so readily agree to marry Ruth the Moabitess.  He knew his parent’s story, had heard from his mother Rahab about the pain of loneliness and rejection when they lived “outside the camp,” and had no hesitation to marry a foreign woman who so obviously loved God and honored Naomi. 
 
The character of Rahab may also be inferred from Hebrews.  She and Sarah are the only two women named in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews Chapter 11).  Rahab is also mentioned by James as an example of the works of faith. 
 
(Call up the worship team)
 
So, who are the Rahab’s in our life?  The people who have a checkered past, but who are growing in the Lord?  Can we see past who they were, and see what they can become as the Lord changes them?  He wants us to see with His eyes, and be His hands and feet to disciple them so they can become the godly Rahab’s of this generation.
 
The main reason why I love working in the criminal justice system is that I get to participate in God’s mission of making modern-day Rahabs.  To see a life in chaos become a godly man or woman is a privilege I have witnessed repeatedly over the past 35 years. 
 
Fact is, none of us come from “good” families.  There is only one Good Family, and that consists of all of us, from whatever background, who have repented, been born again, and belong to the body of Christ.  We all are new creations in Christ, and our sins—all of them—are forgiven and forgotten by our Lord.  May we celebrate our new beginnings every day!

The Power to Stand Firm

We come to the end of Ephesians today.  At the beginning of his letter to these dear Christians, Paul prayed that they would come to know the significance of what it meant to be a Christian and what it meant to be the Church: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe” (Eph. 1:18–19a).  Isn’t this what we want for our own selves?  To see with the eyes of our hearts the hope we have because of God’s calling, to wrap our hearts around the profound implications of what it means to belong to God as His inheritance, and to have our hearts full with the reality that the boundless greatness of the power of Almighty God now belongs to those of us who have been redeemed by God’s own Son. 
 
What does it mean to be a Christian?  What does it mean to be the Church?  The answer is provided for us more than 200 times in the New Testament and over 30 times in Ephesians alone; the answer given for what it means to be a Christian and what it means to be the Church is that you are a Christian and you belong to His church if you are “in Christ.” 
 
Before He spoke Creation into existence, God chose you and set His love upon you for the purpose that you would be holy and blameless... in Christ (1:4-6).  Your sin was not so great to keep you from the love of God, for He made your salvation and redemption possible through His Son who died upon a cross for your sins and lavished His grace upon you (vv. 7-12).  You have been sealed by the Holy Spirit which guarantees your complete and total salvation... and He did it “in Christ” (vv. 13-14).  Oh, dear Christian, what did you ever do to deserve so great a salvation?  Nothing, because all of it was provided for you in and through Christ! 
 
The Christ who was raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of the Father in the heavenly places is now yours (1:20-21)!  The Christ who is far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, the One to Whom belongs the obedience of the nations, and He who is head over all things... is now yours (vv. 22-23)!  Christian, what did you do to receive Him as yours?  You who were once dead in your offenses and sins, was there anything in you that warranted God’s grace?  You were listed among the “sons of disobedience,” you “lived in the lusts of your flesh,” you “indulged the desires of the flesh and of the mind,” and because of your sins... you were categorized by the Almighty as a “child of wrath” (2:1-3).  What was it about you that compelled God to save you instead of leaving you in your sins?  It was His rich mercy, His great love, and His all-sufficient grace that made you alive in Christ (vv. 4-9).  You are now in Christ, and all because of Christ!
 
Now that you have been saved by Christ, you who were once far away have been brought near so that He is now your truth, He is now your righteousness, and He is now your peace (2:11-16).  You are now united to Christ and belong to His body (4:1-32).  As a member of His body, you now belong to the Bride of Christ, and because you are His Bride, Jesus is cleansing and sanctifying you through His word and the power of the Holy Spirit (5:22-32). 
 
So, when you come to Ephesians 6:10 and read: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” you should know by now where it is that you are able to find that strength.  It is found... “in Christ.”  We are strong in the Lord when we put on the “full armor of God.”  Yet, the irony is that it is already provided because of our union in Jesus.  He is our belt of truth, He is our breastplate of righteousness, He is our peace through the gospel, He is our shield of faith, He is our helmet of salvation, and He is our sword of the Spirit.  We are stronger in the Lord the more we recognize our weakness and how much we need to pursue Him.
 
Listen, the only way you will discover how weak you are is by seeing how big God is, how sufficient Jesus is as your Savior, and how powerful the Holy Spirit is as the One who is keeping you. 
 
How We Are to Pray
So here is what I want to do with the remainder of our time together.  First, I want to look at how we are to pray and then I hope to show you what that kind of praying is where the power of the armor of God is experienced.
 
There are four categories of prayer that ought to be a part of our prayer life as Christians listed in Ephesians 6:18.  The Greek word that is used four times in verse 18 that can be translated “all” or “every” is the Greek word, “pas” (πᾶς). Some versions of the Bible have chosen to translate pas as “all” every time it is used in verse 18, while others like new version of the NASB translate pas as “every” and “all.”  In an effort to make the translation read smoothly, the NASB translates it this way: “With every [pas] prayer and request, pray at all [pas] times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all [pas] perseverance and every request for all [pas] the saints...”  So how are we to pray?
 
We are to pray in ALL ways to God (v. 18a).
What are the ways you can pray?  You can pray quietly to God.  You can pray vocally to God.  You can pray with groups of other Christians to God. You can pray privately to God.  You can pray while prostrate on your face to God. You can pray while standing, you can pray while kneeling, and you can pray while walking.  You can pray with your eyes closed, you can pray with your eyes open, and you can pray with your head bowed or lifted up.  You can pray in all ways to God because of who you are in Christ.
 
We are to pray at ALL times to God (v. 18b).
You can pray in the evening to God.  You can pray in the morning to God.  You can pray midday to God.  You can pray while suffering, while hungry, while in good health, or when in ill health.  It does not matter what the circumstances are or if it is in the early morning hours or in the midnight hour... there is no time when God’s door is shut, or His time limited so that His redeemed children are not permitted to come before Him in prayer. 
We are to pray with ALL perseverance (v. 18c).
While we pray in all ways and at all times in the Spirit, we are to do so while alert and do so persistently.  We stand between the first advent and the second advent when Jesus will come again as King, until He comes again, we are to remain alert for two reasons: first, while we wait, we are in enemy territory where our adversary is categorized as a roaring lion who longs to destroy and devour (1 Pet. 5:8).  Jesus told His disciples that while we wait for His return that we must, “Watch out, stay alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is” (Mark 13:33).  Sinclair Ferguson said of prayer: “Christ is building his church on territory that has been occupied by an enemy.  Alertness is always essential when living in a war zone.”[1]
 
We are to pray for ALL the saints (v. 18d).
In the same way that we pray for ourselves, we must also pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ! We do not just pray for those who we agree with theologically, but for every Christian regardless of where they fellowship, what church they attend, or in what part of the world they live.  This also means praying for your spouse, praying for your children, praying for your grandchildren, and anyone else in your world who believes in Jesus.  When it comes to their relationship with God, God cares more about their spiritual health than you ever could, so pray expecting that God can do, “far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think...” (3:20) in the lives of those saints you pray for more than your imagination can come up with. 
 
There is a fifth way we are to pray: We are to pray in all ways and at all times in the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is the power that makes the armor of God effective so that you can stand strong, stand against the schemes of the devil, and stand firm on the evil day.
 
The Power of the Armor of God is in Who it Belongs To
To Pray in the Spirit according to Ephesians 6:18 is not to pray in tongues, that is a different type of praying addressed elsewhere in the Bible, but not here.  When we pray in the Spirit, we pray with the confidence that we have access to God Almighty who spoke billions of stars into existence with just the word of His power; not only does He hear us as our Heavenly Father, but He can, “do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (3:20) because we are in Christ and He is our Heavenly father.  It is the kind of confidence we read about in Romans 8:14-16, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God...”
 
Do you remember what I said about what it meant to be filled with the Holy Spirit when we covered Ephesians 4:30 and 5:18 in this sermon series? I said to be filled with the Spirit is not about you getting more of the Holy Spirit, but about the Holy Spirit getting more of you.  The more of you that the Holy Spirit has, the more power of the Holy Spirit you will experience!  Same is true when it comes to experiencing the strength of the Lord: the more of our hearts, the more of our obedience, and the more of our dependance He has of us... the more of His strength we will experience through His Holy Spirit. 
 
The power of the Armor of God is not in our ability to put it on but in the One who it belongs to! This brings us back full circle from what we read in the first sentence of Ephesians (1:1-14) to Ephesians 6:18-24.
 
Conclusion
The baby born on the first Christmas and laid in a manger is Christ the Lord! He who was born of a virgin, is the same One who formed Mary in her own mother’s womb. The One who through whom all things were created, was laid in a manger for the purpose of carrying a cross to die for sinners.  The One who lived the life we could not, to die a death we deserved is not only our Savior, but our Mediator: “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all...” (1 Tim. 2:5–6).  The Christ in the manger is ours not because of anything we have done, but because of His victory on the cross and over the grave: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us” (Eph. 1:7-8a).
 
So, it makes perfect sense that Paul would conclude his letter with a call to all of those who are in Christ to pray in the Spirit in all ways, all the time, with all perseverance, and for all the saints because in Jesus, “we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens...” (Heb. 9:1).  If you are a Christian, then one of the things you learn from Ephesians is that you are “in Christ.”  To be “in Christ” means that you now share an unbreakable union with Christ because that union was chosen by God the Father, purchased by His Son’s own blood, and sealed by His Holy Spirit.  Prayer is the fruit of our union in Christ, prayer is communion we have with God, prayer is the direct access we have to God because of our union in Christ. Prayer is the power source to the strength of the Lord that is available to the Christian with the armor of God. 
 
Jesus is the belt of truth, which is your identity in Him, but the security you have with Jesus as your truth will only be as firm as your understanding and confidence that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).  Jesus is your breastplate of righteousness, but your confidence in Him as your righteousness will only be as firm as your confidence that His righteousness is all the righteousness that you will ever need.  Jesus is the shoes of the gospel of peace, but the extent you will be able to stand firm in the gospel will only be as secure as your understanding of the reality of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the shield of faith, but your shield will only be as large as your understanding of who He is based on how saturated your faith in the Word of God is.  Jesus is the helmet of salvation, but the hope of your salvation will only be as effective as your joy in just how great your salvation really is.  Jesus is the sword of the Spirit in that all the word of God points to Him, but your ability to wield the truth of God’s word will only be as effective as you are willing to use it.  Prayer is what happens when you understand how weak you are and how big God really is.
 
Prayer is the evidence that we are growing in our relationship with Christ!  Sam Allberry, in his excellent book, One with My Lord, put it this way: “Growth in the Christian life is needing God more, not needing him less.  So we will be doing more asking over the years, not less asking.  We don’t grow out of prayer, just further into it.”[2] This is why it is only fitting that Paul would conclude his epistle with the appeal to pray at all times! The more we seek God out of a growing awareness of our weakness, the more like Jesus we will become.  Again Sam Allberry is spot on: “Prayer is not about bending God to our wills but about expressing our own wills as they are being bent to his.”[3]
 
Here is the thing though: Our union in Christ is not dependent upon our performance as Christians.  Our union in Christ was, is, and forever will be dependent upon the life and faithfulness of Jesus.  To the extent that we depend upon Him will determine just how much of our hearts He really has, and to the extent of how much of our minds, our hearts, and our will that He has will determine just how much of His power we will experience in our lives.  You will never be less in Him than you already are, but His power will only be experienced in and through your life to the extent of how much of you Jesus really has.  So, my question to you dear Christian is simply this: How much of you does Jesus really have? 
 
Oh, dear brother... oh, dear sister in Christ, do you not want to see with the eyes of your heart the hope of His calling, the riches of His inheritance, and know the power of the Holy Spirit (1:18-19a)?  Do you not want to know the joy of a life built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ as your chief cornerstone (2:20)?  Do you not long for the kind of life that comes out of comprehending the width and length and height and depth of what you have in Christ (3:14-19)?  Are you not tired of the cheap thrills this world offers when it is through Christ that you can know the kind of satisfaction that comes with walking in a manner worthy of the calling in which you have been called (4:1-3)? 
 
If you understood your union in Christ, you would seek to enjoy the unity we are called to with those who belong to His Church (4:4-6).  If you understood what it is that you share with Christ, you would desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit instead of looking for ways to grieve Him (4:30; 5:18).  Oh, because of the great redemption you now enjoy, do you not hate the things that displease Him (5:1-13)?  Do you not want to come out of this life smelling like the sweet aroma of Christ; can you not hear the Holy Spirit’s call upon your life at this very moment: “Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you” (5:14)?
 
To be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might (6:10), the ability to stand firm against the devil’s schemes, and to be able to resist when the evil day comes... will only be experienced more frequently when you see just how weak you are and how sufficient Christ is in all things, in all ways, for all times, and for all people!  In so doing, may we be known for our love for Jesus  and in the way we live for Him and serve those around us.
 
[1] Sinclair Ferguson, Let’s Study Ephesians (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust; 2021), p. 186.
[2] Sam Allberry, One With My Lord (Weaton, IL: Crossway; 2024), p. 151
[3] Sam Allberry, One With My Lord (Weaton, IL: Crossway; 2024), p. 152.

The Sword of the Spirit

Ancient warfare was fierce.  It was close, it was personal, it was dirty, it was aggressive, it was violent, and it was in your face. In preparation for battle, soldiers lined up in tight formation side by side with about three feet separating each soldier so that they could move freely.  Every piece of the armor was critically important: The belt kept everything he was wearing in its rightful place, the breastplate protected his vital organs, his shoes were designed so that he could stand his ground and maintain his footing, his shield helped protected him from any weapon that would pierce such as arrows or spears, and his helmet kept his head on his shoulders, protected his mind, line of sight, and neck.  The part of his armor that was designed to defend and to harm was his sword. 
 
The sword used by Rome’s soldiers between 3BC and 3AD was a double-edged short sword known as the Gladius. Roman legionaries whose shield defended them from the fiery arrows of the enemy received advanced training in using the Gladius to slash the exposed kneecaps or throat of their enemies while in formation and carried their Gladius sword on their belt, or sometimes on a shoulder strap. 
 
It was impossible to forget your belt, breastplate, and shoes when marching into battle because those pieces of the soldier’s armor were attached to his person.  However, it was possible to leave you shield, helmet, and even your sword back in the camp where it was safe and comfortable, but no skilled and experienced soldier would dare enter battle without those parts of his armor he was required to take up and put on, such as his shield, helmet, and sword. 
 
A modern equivalent to just how foolish it would be for a Roman soldier to forget any part of his armor is a Russian soldier who became the 2022 winner of the Darwin Awards.  The Darwin Awards are those awards given to honor Charles Darwin by commemorating “those who improve the gene pool – by removing themselves from it in the most spectacular way possible.” Here is the description of the unnamed Russian soldier who won this award:
You are wearing body armor in a warzone. You spot abandoned Macbook. You want Macbook. Where to hide it? With quick reflexes a Russian soldier slid that Macbook into his chest armor pocket, replacing a ballistic plate designed to save his life.
 
He was killed in Irpin, and his body was retrieved, providing a hearty laugh for all of Ukraine. 'Instant Karma' They reportedly found a stolen iPad as well. Wonder where the iPad was hidden?
 
I am no soldier, and although I love my Macbook Pro and have a great deal of respect for the way it is designed, even I know enough that in a warzone it is best to keep the ballistic plate in the chest armor pocket because a Macbook was never designed to stop a bullet. Yet, when it comes to the armor of God, how often do we intentionally or unintentionally replace that which is designed to protect with philosophies, ideologies, feelings, and practices that serve the enemy rather than our own protection? 
 
What is the Sword of the Spirit
We are told what the Sword of the Spirit is in the very same verse: It is the word of God. From Genesis to Revelation the Bible claims at least 3,000 times to be “The Word of the Lord.”  In 2 Timothy 3:16 we are told: “All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness...” We are told in the Old Testament book, Deuteronomy: “...man shall not live on bread alone, but man shall live on everything that comes out of the mouth of the Lord” (8:3), which is a verse Jesus used against the devil when He was being tempted in the wilderness (see Matt. 4:1-11).  In the Psalms, we learn of the written word of God: “The Law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.  The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Ps. 19:7-8).  As it relates to the authority of God’s word, we are instructed through the prophet Isaiah: “This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is My throne and the earth is the footstool for My feet. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? For My hand made all these things, so all these things came into being,” declares the Lord. But I will look to this one, at one who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isa. 66:1–2). 
 
From Genesis to Revelation the Bible claims at least 3,000 times to be “The Word of the Lord.”  The word of God in written form is contained in the 66 books that make up our Bible.  When Paul wrote that “all Scripture is inspired by God...”, we believe that it is a reference to all of the Old Testament and New Testament books that make up the Bible that were written over a period of hundreds of years with many different contributors who were all guided and inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that what you have before you is a supernatural book unlike any other book, that is without error.  It is upon the word of God, both Old Testament (the prophets) and the New Testament (the apostles) that Jesus’ Church is being built upon (see Eph. 2:19-22).  It is the written word of God that has supernatural and transformative power to shape and transform God’s people, for from the imagery of the Roman Gladius the author of Hebrews wrote: “For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
 
Regarding the Word of God, Jesus prayed to the Father for His church: “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I am not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them away from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:14–17).  In just one chapter earlier, Paul said that the way Jesus is purifying and sanctifying His church is, “by the washing of the water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless” (Eph. 5:26-27).
 
So, we know what the word of God is; the question we must answer is how do we use it as the Sword of the Spirit? 
 
How Do We Use the Sword of the Spirit
To answer that question, you need to know something about the two words that are used in reference to the word of God, and they are logos and rhēma. Logos is often translated as word or message.  Rhēma is often translated word, saying, or statement.  In Hebrews 4:12 and Isaiah 66:2 (in the Greek Septuagint) the word logos is used in reference to the Word of God.  In Deuteronomy 8:3 (in the Greek Septuagint) and Ephesians 6:17, the word rhēma is used.  So, what’s the point?  Both words are used in reference to the written and spoken word of God and its authority is based on the fact that it has come from God.  
 
Listen, every word in the Bible is authoritative because it is the Word of God and is used by the Holy Spirit of God to transform and shape the people of God.  When you read or speak out loud the Word of God, as it is given within all 66 books of the Holy Bible, the voice of God is heard through His word.  Paul’s words in Ephesians 6:17 are calculated and carefully crafted through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; do not miss what is written: “Take... the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”  God always uses the authority of His own words with the power of His Holy Spirit to transform, change, and divinely challenge! 
 
So, how does one use the Word of God as the offensive sword of the Spirit?  Jesus showed us how to use it as an offensive weapon when he was approached three times by the devil.  In Matthew 4:1-17 and Luke 4:1-13 we are given the details of Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the same wilderness that Israel wondered for 40 years because of their failure to believe and obey the word of God.  Each of the temptations Jesus faced was like one of the temptations Israel faced and failed, by sinning. 
When Israel was in the wilderness, they complained about their lack of food (see Exod. 16). The devil came to Jesus and tempted Him with these words: “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” Jesus answered with the word of God from Deuteronomy 8:3, “It is written: ‘Man Shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God’” (Matt. 4:3-4).
 
In the wilderness, Israel frequently put God to the test, so with the second temptation Satan took Jesus to the top of the temple and said, “If you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written: ‘He will give His angels orders concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will lift You up, so that You do not strike Your foot against a stone.” The devil even quoted and twisted Psalm 91 to try to get Jesus to fall into the same sin Israel fell into in the wilderness. Again, Jesus responded rightly and skillfully with the word of God: “You shall not put the Lord Your God to the Test.” (Matt. 4:5-7).
 
In the wilderness and throughout Israel’s history, they were frequently guilty of false worship. In an effort to get Jesus to fall into the same sin, Satan tried to get Jesus to avoid the cross by worshiping him, to which Jesus responded with the sword of the Spirit: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only” (Matt. 4:8-11).
 
Jesus used the sword of the Spirit to counter the Devil’s temptations.  Did you ever notice that two of the three temptations Jesus faced were not inherently evil; it is not wrong to eat when you are hungry nor is it wrong to expect God to save you from harm. However, the scheming of the Devil was to try and get the Son of God to not trust the Father’s plan but to use a different plan that would have avoided the cross.  
 
We often counter our temptation to sin with human reason by believing another way is better than God’s way.  Think about the way we reason our way out of obedience to God: “I know God’s word says sex is a gift to be enjoyed within the covenant of marriage, but we’re in love and we’re going to get married anyway;” or “It’s only a little lie.” Sometimes it is more subtle: “I know God’s word says, ‘there must be no filthiness or foolish talk, or vulgar joking...’, but at least it is not a 4-letter word, it’s not gossip if it is a prayer request, it’s just an innocent joke...”  “I know that God’s word says that, ‘sexual immorality or impurity’ is sinful, but it’s only a few scenes in the movie.” Or... “It only happens once a month...” 
 
What if we learned from the way Jesus responded to temptation by countering our own with the Word of God?  Imagine what would have happened if, in the Garden, Adam responded to the serpent’s temptation with the Word of God? 
 
You can take up the word of God as the sword of the Spirit or you can leave it in its sheath.  Here is the thing though, just as handling a sword effectively takes some skill that can only come if you take it out of its sheath, to handle the sword of the Spirit with skill you must take it out and use it.  To handle the Word of God with skill, you need to use it by reading it, studying it, memorizing it, and immerse yourself into it so that it can do what God designed it to do, which is to change you, mold you, cleanse you, and guide you.  Just as you will never improve your shooting skills if you do not get out to a range and shoot, or a martial artist will only be as skilled as his time in the dojo practicing his techniques, so it is true with handling the word of God with skill. Just as there are resources to improve your aim, or your skills as a martial artist, so there are resources that God has provided through pastors, theologians, scholars, and Christian publishers to improve your skills in handling the word of God.
 
In his letter to Timothy, Paul wrote, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15).  Some think that this verse is only applicable to pastors, but do you know why we know that is not true?  How do we know that every Christian needs to strive to be able to “accurately handle the word of truth”?  Because of what Jesus commanded every Christian: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19–20).
 
Conclusion
Remember that the schemes belong to the devil, but the armor of God belongs to God!  The sword of the Spirit is no exception!  The list of God’s armor begins with the belt of truth, and it concludes with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  What we have discovered about the armor of God is that the belt of truth is our identity in Jesus, the breastplate of righteousness is our righteousness in Jesus, the shoes of the gospel of peace is our redemption that Jesus has made possible, the shield of faith is provided through Jesus, the helmet of salvation is the hope of our salvation in Jesus, and the sword of the Spirit is the word of God that points us back to... Jesus!  We learn from the Bible that all the promises of God through His word find their yes and Amen in and through Jesus Christ (see 2 Cor. 19-22).    
  
In fact, Jesus is not only God’s “Yes” to all of His promises, Jesus is God’s most perfect revelation of Himself because He is the living Word of God!  In the opening verses of the Gospel of John, we learn that as the Word of God, “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being.” And as the Word of God, He, “became flesh, and dwelt among us...” (John 1:1-14). 
 
Not only is Jesus your belt, not only is He your breastplate, not only is He your peace, not only is He your shield and your helmet... Jesus is your sword!  How do you remain strong in the Lord?  You must find Him to be your life!  In closing, I read something in Iain Duguid’s little book, titled, The Whole Armor of God, what I am about to read to you is the essence of the Christmas message:
As the Word of God, he [Jesus] spoke the world into existence.  As the Word of God, he uniquely reveals to us the Father.  As the Word of God, he is God’s final communication to this broken and now redeemed world, come to heal the sick, rescue the lost, restore the broken, and lift up the downcast.... The Word of God in its cleansing work serves as a set of shears, a scalpel, and a sword.  Ask God to equip you with these three different tools, each one uniquely crafted to help us in the fight against temptation by the world, the flesh, and the devil.  All that sanctifying power flows into your life through the work of the Holy Spirit applying his Word.  And when you fail and fall, as you often will, the Sword of the Spirit points you back again to the fact that the gospel is still true and Christ’s power is still sufficient to keep you safe and bring you at last into your heavenly inheritance.[1]
 
[1] Iain M. Duguid, The Whole Armor of God (Wheaton, IL: Crossway; 2019), pp. 101-02.

The Helmet of Salvation

On the first Christmas, an angel appeared to some shepherds who were keeping watch over their flocks at night.  We are told that at the angel’s appearing, the shepherds were “terribly frightened.”  The angel announced to the shepherds: “And so the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10–12).
 
The Christmas story does not begin with the shepherds, or with the angel’s visit to Mary with the words: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son and you shall name Him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:31-33).  The story of Christmas began long before the promise made to Mary’s fiancé, Joseph: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:20b-21).
 
The story of Christmas begins in Genesis 1:1 with the words: “In the beginning.”  It involves an antagonist (the devil), it is all about a hero (God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit), and it is about our need to be rescued (we have a sin problem).  The story of Christmas is a story that transforms unlike any other story; it is a story identified by one word in the Bible, and that word is, “Gospel” which means, “good news.”  Of this good news, the apostle Paul wrote: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” (Rom. 1:16).
 
The Christmas story is about the promised savior born to be king—the Lion of the Tribe of Judah from whom, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet” (Gen. 29:10).  Christmas is the ancient promise that the Son of David would be unlike any other king in that God would, “establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Sam. 7:13).  The coming King who would save His people from their sins would be “Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14)—God with us. 
 
What is the Helmet of Salvation?
Like the soldier’s shield, the helmet could be taken of and put back on.  The helmet of the Roman soldier was made of bronze and had cheek pieces to provide protection to his head.  Like the breastplate of righteousness, Paul draws his language from Isaiah 59:17, “He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; and He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped Himself with zeal as a cloak.”  If you recall from my sermon on the breastplate of righteousness, the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 who was, “pierced for our offences, and was crushed for our wrongdoings” is the Divine Warrior of Isaiah 59, which begins with these words: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear” (v. 1).  The One who is able to save is the One to Whom righteousness and salvation truly belongs. 
 
When redemption and righteousness was beyond the reach of sinful humanity, Immanuel “put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head” and was born of a virgin to save us from our sins. But what does it mean to be saved from our sins, and is salvation something that can be taken up and put off like a helmet? To answer those questions we must answer what “salvation” is. 
 
Salvation literally means, “preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss.”  In the strictest and most biblical sense, salvation is something that has happened in the past, but it is also happening in the present, and yes... it is also something that will happen in the future.  In other words, Jesus came to save his people from their sins so that they can be saved from the past, the present, and in the future, from the full curse of sin.  How so?  Well, think about what was announced: Jesus came to save His people from their sins. 
 
When Adam and Eve sinned, all of creation was brought under a curse, and that curse includes not only our propensity to sin against God, but also death and the vandalizing of a peace with God all of humanity was intended to enjoy.  Here is what the Bible says: “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned...” (Rom. 5:12).  So, when it comes to our salvation, Timothy Keller said, “The Bible says every Christian stands in the middle of three tenses of their salvation. You can’t understand the glory and the beauty of it unless you see it. In fact, you won’t be able to understand the Scripture and you won’t be able to understand what’s happening to you if you don’t understand.”[1] 
We stand in the past tense of our salvation: You have been saved from the penalty of sin and pardoned from your guilt and now have been covered under the righteousness of Christ and are justified before a holy God (1 Pet. 3:18). We stand in the reality that we have been saved from the penalty of sin!
 
We stand in the present tense of our salvation: You are being saved in the sense that God is changing you through the power of His Holy Spirit.  The evidence of your nature to sin is still there and the struggle against your own sin is very real, but each moment that you move closer to death on this side of eternity is one step closer to Christlikeness.  This is the fight I was talking about last week. In this present life you, Christian, “fight the good fight of the faith” and by doing so, we “take hold of the eternal life to which you have been called” (1 Tim. 6:12).  We stand in the reality that we are being saved from the power of sin!
 
We stand in the future tense of our salvation:  Because we have been saved from the penalty of sin and we are being saved from the power of sin because Jesus, as the Divine Warrior of Isaiah 59, is able and will indeed rescue us from all sin.  The third verse in the carol, Joy to the Word, rightly states:
No more let sins and sorrows grow,Nor thorns infest the ground;He comes to make his blessings flowFar as the curse is found.
 
 Jesus came to save us from our sins in the sense that He will make his blessings flow as far as the curse is found, and on that day: Death will be swallowed up in victory (1 Cor. 15:54), what is mortal will be swallowed up by life (2 Cor. 5:4), sorrow and singing will flee away (Isa. 51:11), every tear will be wiped away (Rev. 21:1-4), and all things will be made new (Rev. 21:5).  We stand in the reality that we will be saved from the presence of sin... forever and will receive a better and more glorious Eden! 
 
The salvation that Jesus came to deliver is not something we take off and put on again, so what then is the helmet of salvation?  According to 1 Thessalonians 5:8, the helmet of salvation is the hope of our salvation: “But since we are of the day, let’s be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.” Because we are saved, being saved, and will be saved... we live in the hope of our salvation no matter what the enemy launches at us or does to us, “the night is almost gone, and the day is near” (Rom. 13:12).
 
How Do You Take Up the Helmet of Salvation?
To take up the helmet of salvation is to live in the reality that this mortal life is not the end and that you are now, and forever will, remain a child of the living God! 
 
The helmet of salvation protects your head, it protects your mind, it protects your line of sight so that you can see the hope that is yours in Christ.  When things in life seem to go south, when this life is shortened by disease, when this world’s resources are stripped away, when the proverbial rug is pulled from underneath, and when it seems that all in this world is lost... you can respond with gospel-centered hope: “For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison...” (2 Cor. 4:17).
 
The helmet of salvation is the assurance of our salvation! Listen, there are two dangers that every person faces if they are a part of any Bible teaching and gospel centered church.  The first danger is to believe that you are a Christian when you are not.  If you believe that you can believe in Jesus with your mind for the salvation of your soul with little consequence to the way you are living your life today, then you may not be a genuine Christian. 
 
True saving faith is to believe and trust that Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is enough for the salvation of your soul; the evidence that you genuinely believe and trust in Jesus as your savior will be evidenced in your standing in your past salvation, present salvation, and hope in your future salvation.  Do not forget Ephesians 2:8-10!  You were saved by grace through faith in Jesus, and the purpose for your salvation is stated in verse 10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  Genuine saving faith in Jesus will be evidenced by a changing life that looks more and more like Jesus’ life over the years. 
 
The second danger you face in the local church is that the enemy can get you to doubt your salvation.  If the enemy can get you to doubt your salvation successfully, he will have a better chance of tempting you to live closer to your sin rather than closer to Jesus as your savior.  When you take up the helmet of salvation, you stand in the shoes of the gospel of peace, with your identity in Christ firmly belted around your waist, the righteousness of Christ securely fastened over your chest, so that you can take up your biblically saturated faith.  When the devil attempts to undermine your salvation, you can take up your helmet of salvation knowing that only because of Jesus, there is no condemnation for you (Rom. 8:1)! 
 
When you take up your helmet of salvation in the enemy’s presence, you do so with confidence, knowing: “...that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6).  When the attacks come and the devil or your flesh is all up in your face to tempt you to doubt the sufficiency of Christ, you take up your helmet of salvation with the assurance of 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, “But we have this treasure in earthen containers, so that the extraordinary greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed...” (2 Cor. 4:7–9).
 
How do you know that the salvation Jesus provided is enough?  The One born to save His people from their sins is the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” promised long ago (Isa. 9:6-7).  He is the promised King whose, “times of coming forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity” (Micah 5:2).  The One born King of the Jews is He who was declared long before His birth through the virgin Mary: “I am the first and the last, and there is no God besides Me” (Isa. 44:6; Rev. 1:17-18). Jesus can save because He is the righteous Branch of David who is called, “Yahweh Our Righteousness” (Jer. 23:5-6). He is Him who is, “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation... by Whom all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him” (Col. 1:15-16).  The salvation Jesus provided is enough because, while He existed in the form of God as the Divine Son, He humbled Himself, “by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross” (see Phil. 2:1-11).  This is why we can have every confidence that Ephesians 1:7-8 is all that we need for the hope of our salvation: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.”
 
So, in light of all that Jesus is and all that he did to secure your salvation, who are you, Chistian?  You are chosen by God before the foundation of the world (1:4-6)!  Who are you Christian?  You are redeemed as a child of God by the blood of His own Son... namely Jesus (1:7-12)!  Who are you Christian?  You are sealed by the Holy Spirit as a child of the living God until the day when redemption is finally complete (1:13-14).  You can have all the confidence that Jesus is enough because He alone is the Divine Warrior qualified to live the life you could not live for the purpose of dying a death you deserved! Jesus is your righteousness, and He is your salvation! 
 
On December 4th, I read something Thomas Watson wrote that Jonathan Gibson’s O Come, O Come, Emmanuel included in his devotional.  When it comes to what our salvation means, Watson’s words seem to capture the beauty and magnitude of the Jesus who came to save his people from their sins:
He was poor that he might make us rich.  He was born of a virgin that we might be born of God.  He took our flesh that he might give us his Spirit.  He lay in the manger that we might lie in paradise.  He came down from heaven that he might bring us to heaven... that the Ancient of Days should be born,--that he who thunders in the heavens should cry in the cradle,--that he who rules the stars should suck the breast,--that a virgin should conceive,--that Christ should be made of a woman which himself made,--that the branch should bear the vine,--that the mother should be younger than the child she bore, and the child in the womb bigger than the mother,--that the human nature should not be God, yet one with God: this was not only amazing but miraculous.”
 
If you a Christian, Jesus is the hope of your salvation for He is the helmet of your salvation.  If you are not a Christian, you can receive Him as the Hope of your salvation by surrendering your life to Him as your Savior.
 
[1] Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

The Shield of Faith

It has been a few weeks since we were in Ephesians.  The last sermon I preached was on the shoes of the gospel of peace.  I have a confession to make, and it is not one to be proud of: I am not very good at creating space for my own rest. One of the symptoms that a break and vacation is needed is when your pastor takes 15-20 minutes to talk about shoes during his sermon introduction!  In preparation for this sermon, I have been thinking about the importance of rest as it is related to faith. 
 
One of the Ten Commandments is to, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exod. 20:8-11).  Here is the irony with the fourth commandment: The first four commandments address our relationship with God and the last six commandments address our relationships with one another.  I am of the opinion that a Sabbath rest has less to do with the seventh day of the week and more to do with our need to separate ourselves from the noise of life. Regarding the fourth commandment, Jesus said: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:23-28).  The purpose of the Sabbath is that it creates space for you to listen to God for the purpose being strengthened in Him.
 
The reason why the fourth commandment is sandwiched between the first three concerning our vertical relationship with God and the final six concerning our horizontal relationships with your neighbor is because if you ignore a Sabbath rest, both your relationship with God and your relationships with others will suffer.  If you ignore the fourth commandment, you will be more prone to develop idols in your heart and become little good to those around you.  So, here is what I want you to hear as we move forward: Sabbath rest stabilizes gospel grounded faith.  The kind of rest I am talking about must include the kind of rest described in Psalm 46:10, “Stop striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted on the earth.”  
 
Now, with God’s command for a Sabbath rest as our backdrop, let’s consider again the armor of God:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” (Eph. 6:10–13)
 
Remember that the schemes belong to the devil, but the armor we are to put on belongs to God.  The belt of truth is our identity in Christ, the breastplate of righteousness is our righteousness in Christ, and the shoes of the gospel of peace enable us to keep our footing in the whole Gospel, that includes our salvation but also the full redemption of all creation.  The whole Gospel includes our resurrection, but it also promises us a day when sorrow and sighing will flee away: “And the redeemed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with joyful shouting, and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away” (Isa. 51:11).
 
The fourth piece of God’s armor is the shield of faith.  The questions we need to answer are what is it really; and how does one use the shield of faith? 
 
What is the Shield of Faith?
The shield Paul had in mind was not the small round shield you would expect a soldier to have for hand-to-hand combat, for it was light but left most of the body exposed.  Instead, the shield Paul envisioned was more like the one a soldier carried to protect his whole body from the enemy’s arrows shot from a distance. 
 
The large shield was called a “scutum” and was typically used by Roman legionaries. It was designed not only to protect the soldier wielding it from arrows, but was designed especially to protect him from arrows that were dipped in pitch and lit on fire before they were launched.  The front of the shield was covered in leather that could be soaked in water; in this way, when the flaming arrows hit the shield, the fire would be quenched. 
 
For what purpose did a flaming arrow (aka “fire arrow”) serve?  What is fire known for doing?  The enemy would launch flaming arrows to set on fire anything that was flammable such as buildings, materials, and enemy troops.  Fire consumes and destroys, and this is exactly what the rulers, powers, world forces of this darkness, and the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places desire to do to any and all of God’s people.  We are told to take up the shield of faith to protect us from such attacks from the enemy, but what is it? 
 
Is the shield of faith a self-determined will to hold on to what you believe?  Is it something that you would have more of if you simply believed more?  Is the shield of faith more about having enough faith in what we read about in the Bible so that you can claim financial, emotional, relational, spiritual, and physical healing and wholeness for yourself?  I don’t think the shield of faith includes any of that. 
 
Remember that Paul did not just come up with the armor of God because of some Roman soldiers around him.  Paul received his shield metaphor from the Old Testament.  To address Abraham’s fear about being without an heir, God promised Him, “Do not fear Abram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great.”  In Psalm 28:7, David celebrated the God who hears the prayers of His people with these words: “Blessed be the Lord, because He has heard the sound of my pleading.  The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart triumphs, and with my song I shall thank Him.”  However, I think Proverbs 30:5 is the most helpful verse that helps us understand what the shield of faith is: “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.”
 
So, which is it? Is God our shield and if so, how can our faith be the shield?  On this point Iain Duguid is helpful: “Faith is the means by which we flee to God for refuge.  It is how we cling to God and find in him comfort and protection in times of difficulty and distress.”[1]  It is one thing to believe that God exists but is quite another thing to flee to the God you know to be true because of the way He has revealed Himself through His Word.  The more you know about God, the more inclined you will be to flee to Him as your refuge and strength, for the Bible says, “the people who know their God will be strong and take action” (Dan. 11:32b). 
 
The way you cling to God and find Him to be your comfort and protection is through His Word!  We are told in Ephesians 5:26 that Jesus intends to sanctify and beautify His church through the washing of water with the word.  It is the word of God that we use to saturate our shield “to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”  This is not a New Testament concept; it is a Genesis through Revelation principle for living faithfully before God.  Listen to Psalm 119:10-11 and tell me if you cannot hear the same tone that you hear in Ephesians 6:16, “With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments.  I have treasured Your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against You.” 
 
How do We Use the Shield of Faith?
It is all well and good to know what the shield of faith is, but how do you use it?  To answer that question, permit me to show you something that I have read dozens of times and missed because I did not read Ephesians 6:14-17 as carefully as I should have.  There are six pieces that belong to the armor of God. The first three are all pieces that a soldier puts on and keeps on so long as he is active:
“...having belted your waist with truth” (v. 14a)
“...having put on the breastplate of righteousness” (v. 14b)
“...having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace” (v. 15)
 
Each of these pieces are attached to the Christian as part of his/her identity in Christ.  The belt of truth is your new identity in Christ, the breastplate of righteousness is your righteousness in Christ, and the shoes of the gospel of peace are the promise of full redemption that Jesus makes possible.  You put on these pieces of armor by standing in the gospel, confidently recognizing that all your righteousness is in Christ, and that your identity is rooted in Christ as truth for all of life!
 
Now notice the final three pieces of the armor of God and how Paul distinguishes them from the first three pieces with the words, “in addition to all...”:
“...taking up the shield of faith” (v. 16)
“...take the helmet of salvation” (v. 17a)
“...take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (v. 17b)
 
The soldier’s shield, helmet, and sword were all a part of his armor, but they were pieces he could take up and put down at will. The enemy can tempt you to believe that Christ is not enough, but what he already knows is that your righteousness is Christ’s righteousness; wearing the breastplate of righteousness is simply walking in light of that truth.  However, when the enemy attacks with his flaming arrows in the form of temptations, lies, and accusations, you can choose to take up the shield of faith or allow those arrows to pierce you so that their fire can overwhelm, consume, and incapacitate you.
 
If you are a Christian and you have truly been born again, the flaming arrows may not be able to destroy your soul, but they certainly can wound to the point of rendering you immobile and unable to fully engage and participate in God’s mission in the world and purpose for your life.  If you are a Christian, the enemy knows that God chose you before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4-6), that you were fully and completely redeemed by the blood of His Son (1:7-12), and that you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit as God’s inheritance to receive all of His promises (1:13-14, 18-23). 
 
In fact, I am convinced that the devil has more of a theological grasp over what it means for you to be a Christian than many Christians, but if he can deceive you, if he can aid in destroying your Christian witness, if he can paralyze you with shame and guilt to keep you from clinging to all that the cross of Christ represents, then he will do all within his ability to do just that!  Dear Christian, when those flaming arrows come, you have a shield God has given that you can take up to defend yourself from such attacks! God has given us all that we need, but faith in His promises, a dependance upon Him, and the responsibility to proactively saturate our faith with the word of God is something we must do. 
 
Conclusion
The enemy will launch his flaming arrows but make no mistake from what we have learned so far from Ephesians, there is also the danger we face from self-inflicted wounds when we fall into temptation.  The devil never makes us sin, we do that all on our own!  This is why it is important to take on the full armor of God.  When we are mindful that Jesus is our identity and not our sin, when we are fully aware that Jesus is our only hope and righteousness, and then stand in the truth of all of God’s redemptive promises, our resolve to resist sin and temptation becomes more determined. 
 
But, when the flaming arrows fly you can lower your shield and let them pierce and consume, or you can take up your shield.  When the enemy whispers: “You sinned and now you are too disgusting for God to love you!”  You take up your shield saturated with the word of God and say: “Do not rejoice over me, enemy of mine.  Though I fall I will rise; though I live in darkness, the Lord is a light for me... He will bring me out to the light, and I will look at His righteousness” (Micah 7:8, 9).  You take up your shield saturated by the word of God and say, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.... For if while we were enemies we were reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Rom. 5:8, 10).
 
Don’t you think that Mary and Joseph endured many the constant barrage of the enemy’s flaming arrows the moment they found out about the conception of Jesus while Mary was still a virgin?  Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus” (Luke 1:30-31).  Her only question was: “How?” since she was a virgin.  After the angel told her that the Holy Spirit would make it possible miraculously, her response was simply: “Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word” (v. 38).  Mary could have been overwhelmed by fear over what her mother, father, relatives, and neighbors would think, but instead she raised up her shield of faith in the form of a song saturated with what she knew from the word of God:
“My soul exalts the Lord,
   And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
“For He has had regard for the humble state of His bond-servant;
      For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.
 
“For the Mighty One has done great things for me;
      And holy is His name.
“And His mercy is to generation after generation
      Toward those who fear Him.
 
“He has done mighty deeds with His arm;
      He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
“He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
      And has exalted those who were humble.
 
“He has filled the hungry with good things,
      And sent the rich away empty-handed.
“He has given help to His servant Israel,
      In remembrance of His mercy,
 
Just as He spoke to our fathers,
      To Abraham and his descendants forever. (Luke 1:47–55)
 
Joseph could have walked out on Mary in disbelief, but He took up his shield as well and believed that God was not only big enough to make the conception of Jesus supernaturally possible, but he too believed the word of God: “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14; see also Matt. 1:18-25).
 
So, how do you use the shield of faith?  How do you take it up to defend yourself?  You take up the shield of faith each time you flee to God for refuge through the truth of His word and cling to Him to find your comfort and protection in times of difficulty and distress. 
 
[1] Iain M. Duguid, The Whole Armor of God (Wheaton, IL: Crossway; 2019), p. 68.

Growing Up

Centered on Jesus

Shoes of the Gospel

There was a time when I could not stand the idea of exercise.  I was tired of being on cholesterol and blood pressure medicine, and finally got to the place where I became desperate enough to get healthy.  One of the first things I chose to do was join a gym, hire a trainer, and sign up for a 5K because I thought that if I did not train for it, I would die.  So, I began running twice a week while I trained at the gym three times a week.  What I learned soon after I started running was how important it was to have the right shoes. 
 
Because I grew up just outside of Philadelphia, we called anything that you could run around and play in: “sneakers.” Depending on where you grew up, you may know them as “tennis shoes.” Before I started running, I did not know that there were all types of “sneakers” depending on the kind of thing you liked to do.  For those who like to run, you can pay to have your foot analyzed to determine if you need a neutral shoe (for those with a stable foot and normal or high arch).  If you are a runner whose outer edge of your heel hits the ground first or Vis versa, then you might need to choose a more stable shoe.  If you participate in track and field, you may need a shoe with spikes designed to be more lightweight.  If you want a bit more cushion while running, there are cushioned running shoes.  If you do not like the cushion and want to feel more of the ground while running, there is the minimalist running shoe.  If you like running on trails, there is the trail running shoe.  If you are an avid runner, and do not have the right shoes, you will develop pain in your knees, feet, thighs, etc. 
 
Needless to say, wearing the right shoes are important if you are a runner.  Wearing the right shoes while hiking is important if you hike.  Wearing the right shoes doing anything is important.  Wearing the right shoes as a soldier is especially important for combat readiness, and the third piece of equipment belonging to God’s armor that we are told to put on is the shoes of the gospel of peace.
 
What are the Shoes of Gospel Peace?
Most translations insert the word “shoe” to make sense of the Greek. Shoes are assumed and the way it is translated in the NASB is the most literal of all the versions: “...and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace” (v. 15).  The English Standard Version translates the Greek in a way that really gets at the heart of the point that I believe Paul is attempting to make: “as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.”  The question we need to answer is, for what purpose do the shoes of the gospel of peace serve? 
 
The Roman soldier was fitted with a type of sandal that was heavier than what civilians wore.  The sole of the sandal was made with several layers of leather that were about ¾ of an inch thick with hollow-headed hobnail spikes on the bottom of the sole.  The sandals a soldier of Rome wore were not designed for running but did allow him to keep his footing while standing against his enemy.  The shoes Paul had in mind are the type that allowed a soldier to establish himself so that the enemy would not push him back.  Now with that in mind, consider Ephesians 6:10-13,
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
 
So, if the shoes Paul had in mind are the type that allowed a soldier to firm up his stance before the enemy, what does it mean to put on the shoes of the gospel of peace for the Christian?  I have read in a number of commentaries that to put on the shoes of the gospel of peace is Paul’s way of saying that “believers should always be ready to share the gospel.”[1]  I definitely believe that sharing the gospel is what Paul assumed would be the motive and desire of the Christian who has put on the full armor of God.  After all, he was very much aware of Isaiah 52:7, which states: “How delightful on the mountains are the feet of one who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’” (Isa. 52:7).  Jesus did say of His followers: “You are the salt of the earth.... You are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:13, 14).  It is true that the only way people will hear of the gospel of Jesus Christ is if Christians everywhere tell them: “But how are they to preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things” (Rom. 10:15).  However, is this the main point the apostle is making in Ephesians 6:15?  I do not believe that it is. 
 
The shoes of the gospel of peace are the good news of Jesus Christ, but the good news of Jesus Christ is not only that he died for our sins and rose from the grave for the salvation of our souls.  The good news that we are to strap onto our feet, includes Jesus’ death and resurrection; but it much more than that!  “How so?” you ask.  For starters, you need to consider the context of the shoes of the gospel of peace within Ephesians 6:10-18.  Does Paul mean that we are to put on the shoes of the gospel of peace so that we can be ready and prepared to tell people about Jesus (see also Matt. 28:19-20; 1 Pet. 3:15)?  If he did mean this, don’t you think he would have written instead: “strap upon your feet the preparation so that you can make known the gospel of peace”? Instead, Paul tells us to put on the shoes of the gospel of peace so that we would be prepared... but prepared for what?   
 
Remember that the shoes of the Gospel of peace belong to the armor of God, and by wearing them, they prepare us for something.  What is it that they prepare us for?  This is where the context of a particular passage is so important!  The gospel shoes of peace prepare us to stand firm against the devil’s schemes, they prepare us to resist on the evil day, the shoes of the gospel of peace prepare us to stand firm in the strength of the Lord!  I think the New Living Translation is helpful on this point: “For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.” What we are to strap onto our feet is the whole gospel and it is the shoes of the whole gospel that prepares us to stand firm as a Christian who has put on the full armor of God. 
 
Why are the Shoes of the Gospel of Peace Needed?
Permit me answer why the shoes of the gospel of peace are needed and then I will unpack my answer for you.  You must have the shoes of the gospel of peace securely fitted upon your feet because if you get the gospel wrong, your belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness will be compromised, and you will therefore be vulnerable when you stand before the enemy.
 
So, what is the gospel?  It is the good news that Jesus Christ, as the perfectly righteous Son of God, lived a perfectly obedient life to the Law of God on our behalf.  That He died for our sins, triumphantly conquered the grave through His resurrection on the third day, and now stands victoriously as creation’s redeemer.
 
Jesus is the Son of God
If you get Jesus wrong, you will get the gospel wrong.  There is no room for error when it comes to who Jesus is in relationship to what it means to trust and believe in Him!  As the Son of God, Jesus had no beginning, and He will have no end.  He is not a creature like us because He was and forever is eternally begotten of the Father in the sense He existed with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  Of Jesus, the scriptures testify: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it” (John 1:1–5).   
 
Jesus was sent by the Father to become fully human while remaining fully God by immaculate conception through Mary while she was a virgin, through whom the Son of God was born: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).  He is the One of whom the prophets spoke: “For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us... and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6).  By being born of a virgin, He became the righteous descendant of David who bears the name: “The Lord Our Righteousness” (see Jer. 23:5-6).  If Jesus is not fully God and if He did not become also fully human, then there would not have been a fully qualified and fully capable redeemer for mankind and the rest of creation. 
 
Jesus is Our Redeemer
As the Son of God, Jesus was the only One qualified to save sinners and reverse the curse of sin over all creation.  Jesus is the Kinsmen-redeemer who met the three requirements to redeem what was lost when Adam and Eve rebelled against God on behalf of all humanity.  The three requirements a kinsmen-redeemer was required to meet were that he had to be related to Adam’s race, he had to be willing to redeem what was lost by Adam’s race, and he had to have the means to redeem what was lost, which was not only humanity but all of creation under Adam’s headship.  The only qualified kinsmen-redeemer who could provide what was needed for redemption had to be One who was both fully God and fully human.  This is why Jesus took on flesh to become our kinsmen redeemer, and as our Kinsmen Redeemer, God, “put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Eph. 1:22-23). 
 
Jesus is our Triumphant King Who is making all things new!
The Bible says that Jesus is God’s “Yes” to all of His promises (2 Cor. 1:20), and His promises from Genesis through Revelation include not only the promise of redemption for sinful man, but the reversal of the curse of sin (Jer. 23:5-6; ), the defeat and destruction of the devil (Gen. 3:15; Rev. 20:1-10), and the resurrection and restoration of all things (2 Pet. 3:10-13).  The gospel of peace that belongs to the armor of God is the gospel Peter wrote about to encourage suffering Christians to stand firm: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pet. 1:3–5). Jerry Bridges was absolutely correct when he wrote in his magnificent book, The Discipline of Grace: “The gospel is not only the most important message in all of history; it is the only essential message in all of history.[2]
 
Listen, when you stand in the shoes of the gospel of peace, you stand in the reality and truth of all that the gospel is, and when you have “strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace”, you stand firm in all that the gospel is for you as one who has been redeemed by the blood of the perfect Lamb of God!  When we stand with the gospel of peace securely strapped to our feet, we can say with Job in the midst of great suffering: “Yet as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last, He will take His stand on the earth. ‘Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I will see God, whom I, on my part, shall behold for myself, and whom my eyes will see, and not another” (Job 19:25–27).  When your feet are fitted with the gospel of the peace, you can respond to the uncertainties of life as the apostle Paul did: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).  When you put on the shoes of the gospel of peace, you can stand against the devil’s schemes knowing that because of Jesus, “The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will rejoice over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy” (Zeph. 3:17).
 
The gospel brings peace because not only does it promise our redemption, but it is the promise that Jesus is coming back and when He does, “He will judge between the nations, and will mediate for many peoples; and they will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not lift up a sword against nation, and never again will they learn war” (Isa. 2:4).  The gospel brings peace because we have Jesus, we can stand in the promise of knowing that whether in life or death, we who are the redeemed, will enter into the presence of God, “with joyful shouting, and everlasting joy will be on our heads.  We will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away” (Isa. 51:11). 
 
This is why the gospel is not something you leave and move onto deeper and better doctrines!  You will never outgrow your need for the gospel.  To take on the armor of God is to stand in the gospel, to walk in light of the gospel, to march to the drumbeat of the gospel, and to fight the fight of faith while standing in the reality and truth of all that the gospel is for you... the redeemed! This is why Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (1 Cor. 16:13).
 
When you put on the shoes of the gospel of peace, you will be compelled to proclaim all that the gospel is to you to the world around you because of the peace that it brings in preparing you to stand firm in the evil day.  So, I leave you with the following questions in light of my sermon today:
What shoes are you standing in right now?
 
Are you standing in the full gospel of peace, firmly secured around your feet?
 
How tight are your laces and are they tight enough so that you will not lose your footing as you, “walking in a manor worthy of your calling” (4:1)?
 
Who do you know that really needs to hear about the peace that you have in Jesus?
 
[1] Tony Merida, Exalting Jesus in Ephesians (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2014), 180.
[2] Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress; 2006), p. 45.

The Breastplate of Righteousness

What does it mean to be a Christian?  How do you know that you are a Christian?  What assurance can you have that you will remain a Christian?  Well it is mentioned over thirty times in Ephesians, in fact we are told about 10 times in the very first and very long sentence that makes up the first 14 verses of Ephesians:
In Christ, all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places now belongs to you Christian (v. 3)
In Christ, you were chosen before the foundation of the world (v. 4)
Through Christ, you were predestined and adopted as sons and daughters of the living God (v. 5).
In the Beloved Son of God, you are a favored child of God (v. 6).
In Jesus, we have redemption, forgiveness, and the riches of God’s grace through His blood (v. 7).
In Jesus, God made known the mystery of His will (v. 9).
In Christ, the Father is bringing all things together to accomplish His good plan (v. 10).
In Christ, we have obtained an inheritance in accordance with the plan of the Father’s perfect will (v. 11).
In Christ, we are the praise of God’s glory (v. 12).
In Jesus, you have been sealed by God’s Holy Spirit for the day of redemption (v. 13).
 
To be a Christian is to be a person who was once spiritually dead, but now is alive with Christ not because of any religious activity on our part, but only because of the work of Jesus on our behalf (Eph. 2:1-9).  This is what it means to be a Christian, but how does one become a Christian?  I believe that in the same way that you become a Christian, is the same way you put on and take up the breastplate of righteousness. 
 
Some of you will remember our time spent in the sermon on the mount during my sermon series, “Something Greater” just over two years ago.  In fact, if you are trying to make sense of the rhetoric and animosity that we are experiencing in our nation, I encourage you to read the first manuscript in that series from May 22, 2022.  If you were here for that sermon series, you discovered that not only is the sermon on the mount the greatest sermon ever preached, but Jesus’ sermon shows us what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. 
 
During our time in the beatitudes I shared that the first three beatitudes, which are also known as “beatitudes of need,” reveal what is essential for any person to understand what is necessary for the salvation of your soul.  Let me walk you through it because it will help you appreciate just how encouraging the breastplate of righteousness really is.  So here are the first three beatitudes from Matthew 5:3-5,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
 
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
 
“Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth.
 
To be poor in spirit is to arrive at the cross of Christ with empty hands, recognizing that you are spiritually bankrupt of any moral virtues adequate to earn or gain God’s forgiveness for sins committed against Him.  Those who mourn are those who see and understand their sins for what they are and grieve because of them.  The meek are those who understand that their problems are beyond them, their problems are because of the sin in them, and their problems are of their own doing. 
 
To come to Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins is to come to Jesus knowing that there is no righteousness in yourself; it is to mourn over the reality that your sins offend the God who is infinitely righteous, and to come to Jesus knowing that there is not one thing you can do to generate the kind of righteousness necessary for your salvation.  The person who has been truly born again is one whose experience is now the fourth beatitude: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied” (Matt. 5:6).  In Jesus, “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us” (Eph. 1:7-8). 
 
What is the Breastplate of Righteousness?
The Roman soldier’s breastplate was most likely form fitting and extended from the base of the neck to the top of the thighs, covering the thorax and abdomen for the purpose of protecting the vital organs such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, and bowels.  The breastplate is the second piece of God’s armor we are told to put on, but what kind of righteousness does it represent? 
 
Is the breastplate of righteousness the righteousness of Jesus that has been imputed upon you the moment you were saved through faith by Christ alone?  The imputed righteousness of Christ is when the righteousness of Jesus is applied to you the moment you believed the gospel as we are told in verses like 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  Here, consider another passage that concerns the imputed righteousness of Christ from Romans 5:18-21,
So then, as through one offense [Adam’s sin] the result was condemnation to all mankind, so also through one act of righteousness the result was justification of life to all mankind. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. The Law came in so that the offense would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, so also grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
 
In other words, the imputation of Christ’s righteousness is good news because God the Father no longer sees you as a sinner because of your sinfulness but sees you as righteous because Jesus’ righteousness has been applied to you permanently.   
 
Do you remember last week when I showed you that the belt of truth includes your identity in Jesus and that He is now your truth?  The One we follow is, “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6), and now we follow His way, we walk in His truth, and we are united to His life.  Some of you, like John Bunyan, really struggle with the tension between what you know the Bible says about your salvation and your very real frustration over your sin.  John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim’s Progress, a book he wrote while in prison for preaching the gospel, it has now been translated into more languages than any other book, except the Bible.  Bunyan also wrote other books, and one such book so profoundly helped me with my own struggle of desiring to live for Jesus while struggling with my own sin. One day, while Bunyan was taking a walk, he discovered something that we dare not miss concerning the righteousness of Christ; he wrote about it in his book, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners:
One day, as I was walking in the field, my conscience still somewhat wounded and still fearing that all was not well, these words suddenly entered my soul: “Your righteousness is in heaven.”  And I thought, moreover, that I saw, with the eyes of my soul, Jesus Christ at God’s right hand.  I say, my righteousness was there [in heaven]; so that wherever I was, or whatever I was doing, God could not say of me, ‘He is in need of my righteousness,’ as my righteousness was right in front of him.  I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good state of heart that made my righteousness better, nor even my bad state that made my righteousness worse, since my righteousness was Jesus Christ himself, ‘the same yesterday, today, and forever’ (Heb. 13:8).
 
Now indeed the chains fell off my legs, and I was loosed from my afflictions and irons. My temptations fled away too, so that from that time those terrifying Scriptures of God stopped troubling me; I now went home rejoicing in the grace and love of God.  So when I got home I looked to see if I could find that verse: ‘Your righteousness is in heaven,' but I could find no such statement. So my heart began to sink again; the only words which came to mind were these: ‘Of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30).[1] 
 
Bunyan’s book was first published in 1666, but his words echo what so many of us struggle with today as we seek to “walk in a manner worthy of our calling” (4:1).  But is this the breastplate of righteousness that we are to put on along with the belt of truth?  The answer to that question is yes... and no.  The answer is “No” in that if you are a Christian, you do not need to apply the righteousness of Christ to your life, that is something that only God can do and already has been done for you (see Eph. 1:7-12)!  If you are a Christian, you can say with the apostle Paul, “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith...” (Phil. 3:8-9).
 
So in what way is the breastplate of righteousness the righteousness of Christ then?  We put on the breastplate of righteousness when we live and walk in the confidence and reality that all we have is Christ, and His righteousness is righteousness enough!  John Bunyan said that after he realized that all his righteousness was before the Father because Jesus is our righteousness and sanctification before God. He went on to say, “Having reached this point, I rested very comfortably here, for some time, at peace with God through Christ. ‘Oh,’ I thought, ‘Christ, Christ!’ There was nothing but Christ before my eyes.... Oh, I saw my gold was in my trunk at home, in Christ, my Lord and Saviour.  Now Christ was all – all my righteousness, all my sanctification and all my redemption.”[2]  This my dear brothers and sisters is what it looks like to take up and put on the breastplate of righteousness.  It is God’s to give, and it is now yours to rest, stand, and walk in! 
 
Why is the Breastplate of Righteousness Needed?
I am not sure I need to say much to convince you why the breastplate of righteousness is needed, but to be sure that you not only understand why it is needed, but that you are able to celebrate that it is yours to wear, I feel the need to point out a few more things. 
 
One of the great expositors and pastors of the 20th century, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, said of this piece of God’s armor: “You do not put on ‘the breastplate of experiences’, you put on the breastplate of ‘righteousness.’”  The breastplate of righteousness, like the belt of truth, is not something you generate or create out of your own strength. 
 
When Paul described the armor of God, he didn’t invent it based on what he saw the Roman soldiers wearing around him while in prison, his understanding of the armor of God came from various passages in the Old Testament such as Isaiah 59.  In Isaiah 53 we are promised a suffering servant who would be “pierced for our offenses and crushed for our wrongdoings” and that suffering servant was Jesus who was punished for our sins (see Isa. 53:5-10).  Then when we come to Isaiah 59, the suffering servant is now the divine and righteous warrior who will come to rescue His people from their sins.  Isaiah 59 begins with these words: “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short That it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. But your wrongdoings have caused a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear” (vv. 1-2). 
 
As we read on, we discover similar language that is used in Ephesians 2:1-3 used in Isaiah 59:12-13, “For our wrongful acts have multiplied before You, and our sins have testified against us; for our wrongful acts are with us, and we know our wrongdoings: Offending and denying the Lord, And turning away from our God, Speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering lying words from the heart.”  Now listen to how desperate the condition of sinful humanity according to Isaiah: “Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the street, and uprightness cannot enter. Truth is lacking, and one who turns aside from evil makes himself a prey. Now the Lord saw, and it was displeasing in His sight that there was no justice” (vv. 14-15).
 
So what does Yahweh do to address the unrighteousness of His people?  He made salvation possible for those who could not save themselves!  It is in Isaiah 59:16-17 that Paul was referring to in Ephesians 6:14, “And He saw that there was no one, and was amazed that there was not one to intercede; then His own arm brought salvation to Him, and His righteousness upheld Him. He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; and He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped Himself with zeal as a cloak” (vv. 16-17).
 
The Divine Warrior promised in Isaiah 59 is He who would conquer our sin by suffering the wrath of His Father for our sins in our place!  The only truly and perfect righteous One hung on a cross for unrighteous sinners!  Upon His head was a crown of thorns to serve as a reminder of the curse of sin that He bore in our place, and once He declared that it was finished, the Divine Warrior bowed His head in death to become our salvation! 
 
Oh, dear brothers and sisters... do you see how critically important the breastplate of righteousness really is?  Jesus is not only our Divine Warrior who is qualified to save rebel sinners, but He is the One also promised in Jeremiah 23, “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. 6In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will live securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The Lord Our Righteousness’” (vv. 5-6).   
 
Jesus is our righteousness and to put on the breastplate of righteousness is to walk in confidence that He is enough because His mercy is rich, His grace is sufficient, and His love is great!  Charles Spurgeon described it this way: “Saints are so righteous in Jesus Christ that they are more righteous than Adam was before he fell, for he had but a creature righteousness, and the Christian has the righteousness of the Creator. Adam had a righteousness which he lost, but believers have a righteousness which they can never lose, an everlasting righteousness.”   To put on the breastplate of righteousness is to stand, walk, live, and run in consideration of Jesus as your truth and as your righteousness.  The breastplate of righteousness is important because when you put it on, it protects the vital organs of your faith, such as your heart.
 
Your hope and salvation are not bound to a nation, or whoever the next president will be.  Whatever happens today, tomorrow, on Tuesday, or any day before you, your Sovereign is Jesus, and it is He,
Who walks on the waters
Who speaks to the sea
Who stands in the fire beside you
He roars like a lion
He bled as the Lamb
He carries your healing in His hands!
 
He has said, “I am the first and the last, and the living One; I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades” (Rev. 1:17-18).  Amen.
 
[1] John Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners (Auburn, MA: Evangelical Press; 2000), pp. 113-14.
[2] Ibid, p.114.

Stand Firm with the Belt of Truth

October 31st marks the 507th anniversary of the protestant reformation when a Catholic monk by the name of Martin Luther wrote ninety-five complaints concerning the Roman Catholic Church and nailed those complaints to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg in 1517.  Little did Luther know that his complaints would be taken down, translated into multiple language, and mass produced through the newly invented printing press. 
 
It was because of what Martin Luther was reading and studying in his Bible that he wrote his complaints for the purpose of debating and dialoging over what he believed were inconsistences with the teachings of the church compared to what the Bible actually taught.  Eventually, on April 17, 1521, Luther would have to appear before the Diet of Worms to give account for the vast number of texts, treatises, letters, and tracts calling into question the teachings and traditions of the Roman Catholic Church. 
 
It was at the Diet of Worms Luther was given the option to recant and repent, and if he did so, he would be welcomed back into the Church.   If Luther refused, he would be branded a heretic and burned at the stake.  Luther requested an adjournment to pray and formulate an appropriate response.  The meeting was reconvened the next day on April 18th, and it was on that day that Luther delivered a speech that would forever affect the Church.  Luther was only permitted to give a short and simple answer whether he would retract his teachings or stand by them; here is the most well-known part of his answer before the Diet of Worms: 
Since your most serene majesty and your highnesses require of me a simple, clear, and direct answer, I will give one, and it is this: I cannot submit my faith either to the pope or to the council, because it is clear that they have fallen into error and even into inconsistency with themselves. If, then, I am not convinced by proof from Holy Scripture, or by cogent reasons, if I am not satisfied by the very text I have cited, and if my judgment is not in this way brought into subjection to God's word, I neither can nor will retract anything; for it cannot be either safe or honest for a Christian to speak against his conscience. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.
 
Luther was not burned at the stake over his answer but understood that his answer could have resulted in his death. What did happen was he had to go into hiding and change his name and appearance for a while, for his own safety.  Luther delivered his great speech because there was a truth greater and more important than his own safety, for what he was most concerned about was not what the Pope declared to be true, but what God’s word said and how everything else compared to what the Word of God said.
 
We live in a different time compared to the day Luther lived!  However, if you are a Christian, you a part of a community known as the church of Jesus Christ, and therefore are a people of one book, and that book is the Bible which contains within its pages the truth of how it is we are to live. 
 
When Paul wrote his epistle to the Ephesians, he did so while in prison.  Before the apostle was the presence of a roman soldier, and it was with the armor a soldier of Rome wore that Paul would become all too familiar. 
 
What is the Belt of Truth?
Paul lists six pieces that belong to the armor of God, seven parts if you include Paul’s statement on prayer in 6:18-19 and that there is no power apart from a dependance upon God in prayer.  The first piece of armor that he begins with is a belt.
 
The belt was an important part of a Roman soldier’s armor, not because it made it look better, but because it served two primary purposes: it was used to tuck in and keep the soldier’s garments from tripping him up, and it was used to hold the sheath for one’s sword.  It is worth noting that the belt also served to display a soldier’s military status and rank.  The belt went underneath the armor, while remaining visible so that it was obvious he was ready to fight. 
 
As the warrior’s belt was critical for his readiness in battle, truth is essential to the Christian life.  If we are going to stand in the might of the Lord, if we are going to be able to stand firm against the devil’s schemes, and if we are going to have any hope in resisting on the evil day, truth is essential to the Christian life.  It is the nature of our God and the character of His Word:
“Teach me Your way, Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.” (Ps. 86:11)
 
“God is not a man, that He would lie, nor a son of man, that He would change His mind; has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Num. 23:19)
 
“The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and just is He.” (Deut. 32:4)
 
Truth is not only essential to the Christian life; it is the center of the Christian faith!  Think about it, God’s fullest and most perfect expression of His faithfulness and character is in His Son, Jesus: “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:1–3a).  If you are a Christian, you follow Him who said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6b). 
 
Think about what Paul is saying in Ephesians 6:10-14; the only way you will be able to resist the father of lies (the devil) is by putting on the full armor of God, beginning with the belt of truth!  But, dear Christian, what is the belt of truth? 
I want you to think about the significance of where the belt is placed.  It is the first part of the armor that is put on and it is the one piece that is tightest and closest to your person.  I do not believe I am reading too much into this when I say that I believe the belt of truth is more than just the Word of God (although it certainly is that), it is also our new identity now that we are in Christ!  We who were once dead in our sins are now alive with Jesus (2:4-5), and now He is head over His church which we are now a part of (1:22).  We are now His body (1:23), Jesus is our peace (2:17-18), we are His temple (2:21), because Jesus now dwells in our hearts through faith (3:17).  
 
Through Christ, we are one body, sealed by one Spirit, called in one hope by one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all... (4:4-7).  Our identity is now in Jesus, which means that He is our truth!  This is why, more than any other book in the entire Bible is the phrase “in Christ” repeated more than thirty times to describe where it is the Christian finds his/her identity than in the epistle to the Ephesians! 
 
Listen, to put on the belt of truth is to do what we read in Romans 13:14, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” To put on the belt of truth is to identity with the Jesus who said: “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple” (Luke 14:27).  If you are a Christian, His truth is now your truth. 
 
Why is the Belt of Truth Important?
To put on the belt of truth is to be so identified with Jesus that you are freed up to, “walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (Eph. 4:1).  To put on the belt of truth is to stand on the foundation of the prophets and the apostles with Jesus Christ as your eye-opening, mind-captivating, and life-shaping cornerstone (2:19-20).  To put on the belt of truth is to walk in love, “just as Christ loved you and gave Himself up for us, and offering and sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma” (5:1-2).  To put on the belt of truth is to subject yourself under the cleaning water of God’s word (5:26).  To put on the belt of truth is to identify with the Lordship of Jesus by doing what He says (see Luke 6:46).
 
We seem to live at a time in society when “my truth” trumps all other truths.  Since the days of Martin Luther, we have moved closer and closer to redefining truth with every form of media invented to give us more knowledge and make the world more accessible to us.  Now, do not misunderstand me, God gave us a brain to grow in our understanding and the different forms of media has made available to us some really great things, but it has also been used to pervert knowledge and truth.
 
Think for a moment of how the different forms of media have changed our lives.  The printing press paved the way for the enlightenment and modernity when truth was measured by reason.  The worldwide web paved the way for postmodernity beginning in the 60s until our present day with the conviction that reason and the human intellect is no longer the arbiter of truth, but also includes the emotions and intuition as the arbitrators of truth to the point when we now have our own truth.  Now, with the invention of AI, we are entering a new era and the way our society measures truth and morality, like modernity and postmodernity, will never be the same.  
 
Our world is changing so rapidly and so profoundly, but there is one thing that has not changed and cannot change, and that is this simple fact: all truth is God’s truth.  Truth belongs to our Creator and the lies belong to the devil.  Our identity is in Jesus who is, according to the Bible: “...the same yesterday and today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). 
 
Our world is changing, but not so with our God!  He remains infinitely good, infinitely just, infinitely holy, infinitely wise, and is equally a God of love and mercy in infinite measure!  He alone, in our ever-changing world, remains always true, always honorable, always right, always pure, always lovely, always commendable, always excellent, and always praiseworthy (see Phil. 4:8).  The God who chose you before dirt was invented, He who redeemed you with His blood, and the One who has sealed you for the day of redemption DOES NOT CHANGE!
“For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, the sons of Jacob, have not come to an end.” (Mal. 3:6)
 
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” (Jas. 1:17)
 
“God is not a man, that He would lie, nor a son of man, that He would change His mind; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Num. 23:19)
 
So, if the One who is truth does not change, how is it and why is it that some in the church feel the need to mold and shape what the Bible teaches to what our ever-changing world defines as true?  So here is the rub.  If you are a Christian (or thinking about becoming a Christian), you follow Jesus who said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6b).  As Lord over your life, He will make demands upon your life for His glory and your good, to put the belt of truth on is to walk in light of your identity as a Christ-follower.  You cannot and you will not “walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called” (4:1), if you are not putting on the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 13:14).
 
Because Jesus is the cornerstone of His church and the apostles and prophets are Her foundation, we, as His church, are “a pillar and support of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:14-15) in a world that does not know the Truth, because it does not know Jesus.  Sam Storms said of our enemy: “Satan will always flourish in the midst of theological ignorance.”