Bulletproof Breastplate (Armor Of God, Pt 2)
Ephesians 6:14 “having on the breastplate of righteousness”
2nd teaching of 6 on the Armor of God.
The Breastplate of Righteousness is our perfect, unchanging, God given grace that will take us to heaven when we die, and give us an abundant life on earth. He only gives that to those who are born again.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
People block me because I insist on the absolute necessity of being born again. One sign of being born-again is that you know the exact moment you were saved. It’s critical to be born-again. Believing that Jesus died for our sins, and rose again from the dead on the third day isn’t enough. Every church building with a cross on it says the same thing. Not all church goers completely depend on that with their whole being. Those that don’t aren’t going to heaven. It has to be personal. In my case the Bible is written to ‘Deannie’. That’s God’s personal name for me, haha. It all has to be personal, or else it’s just another ‘thing’.
Personal, not as in politics. Some Christians read the Bible and think that the government should pay for everything. They may be right! But personally I don’t see that as I study the Bible daily. When I read the Bible, I see that it’s me that God is speaking to personally, not Israel, not America or anything else that doesn’t have a soul. Not King David. Just to me personally. The call to help strangers and the hungry is my job, personally.
I see that I, as a Born Again Christian, must help out my neighbor personally, as a Christian. A country’s laws can not lead someone to Christ. That’s why our private home is a continuous train station, letting strangers in and out all day every day. Letting everyone into our house, feeding them at home and the poor children in the street. That’s why we help feed hundreds a day all around the world. Paying hundreds of scholarships, personally, even throughout college. Medical emergencies come to me and I figure things out, with Jesus’ help. God shows me through His Holy Word that it’s on me, no one else. Not on my pastor. Not on the church building I go to. Not on my government.
Government wise, I see that the Bible says foreigners are a curse to a nation, seen as seditious, and that the government should not feed a man that does not work (as a nation). Me, on a personal level, I feed and help a lot of bums, a lot of ‘illegals’ personally. Can’t speak for anyone else. The Bible says to the government;
2 Thes 3:10 “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”
On the mission field we must be bulletproof. Like The Shield Of Faith, from last week. We use the Shield of Faith (faith is a verb) daily to maintain it. Our Shield of Faith (which is given to us in flawless condition) only gets better daily IF we use it. And is very handy, IF we remember to pick it up.
The Breastplate of Righteousness is a piece of spiritual armor designed to protect a believer’s heart, his very life, spiritually speaking. You don’t use it. (Righteousness is a noun, not a verb). It’s just there, placed by God, to preserve us until the end. From symbolic poison, snake bites or anything else that can kill our salvation. I have no fear of giving nuns, or mormon missionaries a ride in my car. Some mormons are my very best friends. I invite JW’s into my home to pray. Fearless.
Mark 16:18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them;
As part of the armor of God, this piece represents divine righteousness (imputed), protecting the believer’s heart and moral character against spiritual attacks. I see a lot of questionable things that haunt me, that make me doubt though.
I see full on ‘Mary worshippers’ and Muslims who live more righteously than I do. My past sins make me doubt. Lots of things make me question. But I never leave Jesus. I always come back to Him, I keep on abiding in Him.
John 15:4 “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.”
The Breastplate of righteousness is part of the spiritual armor designed to help believers to “stand against the wiles of the devil”.
The Breastplate of righteousness symbolically protects the heart, as does an actual plate protecting an actual heart. The heart is considered the center of decisions, emotions, soul, inner man and intentions.
The Breastplate of Righteousness refers to the righteousness of Christ, applied to the believer when he gets saved, rather than self-achieved righteousness and ‘salvation’, which is impossible to attain. Two types of people in this world, born-again and going to heaven, or not 🙁
The Breastplate of Righteousness emphasizes standing firm in God’s righteousness, not one’s own, as a defense against spiritual warfare.
In finishing up, the breastplate of righteousness refers to the righteousness that God provides for us, not our own moral rectitude or personal integrity. It’s part of the spiritual armor that protects vital aspects of our spiritual life, including our heart, conscience, desires, and will.
We are to conform ourselves to Jesus’ image right? In this case, the moment we get saved, He conforms us to His image! Did you know Jesus wears a breast plate?
Isa 59:17 For he put on righteousness as breastplate