The Breastplate of Righteousness-

How do we live in this world endure its hardships and difficulties and the attacks that come our way and still live a joy-filled life? We are called as Christians to live a different life, a life that is focused on God’s purposes but also a life that attracts the attention of a spiritual enemy who tries to discourage us and thwart us at every turn. To get us so preoccupied with the difficulties of life that we no longer have the stomach for the battle before us. How do we protect our hearts from being hurt and hardened? from disillusionment and discouragement. The answer for the believer lies in putting on the armor of God particularly the breastplate of righteousness.

Ephesians 6:10-18

1. Righteousness is about doing what pleases God. living in a way that is acceptable to him. Now, this righteousness is not the self-righteousness that comes from our own human efforts. Because we are not righteous in our selves but this is a righteousness that comes from God. . The same goes for the entire armor. The armor we are to put on is God’s Armor.

2. What is right is determined by God, not by the majority- it does not matter what the majority believes as we will all be held accountable for which side we choose in the cosmic battle. A majority can be fooled, fed misinformation, be overcome with groupthink and emotion a subjected to mass propaganda and often is.

4. What is right is written in the scriptures. Righteousness must be connected to truth. The breastplate of righteousness must be connected to the belt of truth. Without the belt, the armor would easily slip off. The Bible was not merely written by men. It is a unique book among all the writings of the world. it contains historically accurate data about people and events on several continents, hundreds of fulfilled prophecies, a record of miracles substantiated by eyewitness testimony and an extremely accurate understanding of human nature as an incredible collection of wisdom.
5. Living righteously protects our heart from being deceived and led to ungodly living. When they act on the righteousness of God. each decision that we make to listen to the heart of God and what pleases him makes us more sensitive to him. the opposite is true when we engage in unrighteousness we grieve the spirit and we close our hearts and become susceptible to further sin

Christians don’t spend time looking for loopholes to excuse sin

I did for a brief time play basketball on a church team. I still have the jersey. I am not very good at sports but I was feeling pretty good one particular game and I shot for the basket and I smiled for a moment until I heard nooo. Right before the ball went in Only to discover I had gotten turned around on shot for the wrong basket scoring for the other team. It was embarrassing.

But that was just a game. There are those who are professing to be on team Jesus but they are scoring for the enemy instead. They have been fooled into thinking they are being compassionate when all they are doing is affirming people in their sin and not giving them the true gospel that could set them free.

1 John 3:7–10 (ESV)

⁷ Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. ⁸ Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. ¹⁰ By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

So many profess to be Christian but see nothing wrong with living and having sex with their girlfriend or boyfriend outside a covenant of marriage, they see nothing wrong with acting out on same-sex attraction, they see nothing wrong with getting drunk and acting foolishly, they see nothing wrong with viewing pornography, with being abusive towards their kids or their spouse. They gossip about other people and create division and dissension within their family and even the church. There is nothing that separates them from those around them. If you find yourself in here today. I encourage you. To listen further. Don’t shut me out.

6. The first part of the spiritual battle is overcoming our own flesh.

Galatians 5:16–21(ESV)

¹⁶ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

A father looking for something to occupy his sons time in the doctors waiting room finds an old magazine with a picture of the world on it. he takes the page and rips it into tiny pieces making a puzzle for the boy to solve. His son put its together very quickly and the father asked his son how he could put it together do fast, his son replied its simple dad there was a picture of a man on the other side I just put the man together and the world came together as well.

Conclusion: if we are truly concerned about our world and desire peace and goodness and justice and all these things that we first need to reconcile ourselves with God to come to him and allow him to work on us first. If we are to do battle in the heavenly realms, we must be equipped for it by righteous living according to God’s Word. Let God fix you first then go fix the world.