Ephesians 6:10-18 July 13, 2008
The Whole Armor of God, Part 3
“The Belt of Truth – Stable Is as Stable Does!”
Rev. Meagan Boozer
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist…
Over the last two weeks, we have been looking at the Apostle Paul’s teaching from the book of Ephesians that commands followers of Jesus to take our stand against the wiles of the devil. If you weren’t here, or didn’t get a copy of the sermons in the mail, there are additional copies of the first two messages in the racks in the foyers. Every week of this sermon series will build upon the previous weeks, and so, in order to gain the greatest understanding, I hope you will be intentional about hearing or reading each sermon in the series – and I sure hope you will be intentional about praying for me as I prepare and write.
Today we are starting to look at each individual piece of the armor that Paul tells we must wear. Now understand, this is primarily invisible armor in the physical realm, but not invisible in the spiritual realm. The angels and the demons, all spiritual beings, know exactly who’s wearing what! Paul tells us to put on (to clothe ourselves) in the whole armor of God, starting with the loinbelt, or belt of truth. Interesting place to begin, isn’t it? Usually when we get dressed, the belt is one of the last pieces that we put on. But, for the Roman soldier putting on his armor, the belt was the first and the most important piece he had to wear. Men in those days wore long tunics – not pants. So, asking “who wears the pants in your family?” would not have been a logical question in the first century! When a soldier was putting on his armor to go on duty, he first put his belt on so that we could cinch his tunic up in and under the belt. His breastplate would hook onto the belt to keep it in place, and his sword would attach to the belt as well. Without the belt in place first, the soldier’s armor would be more than a mess – the armor wouldn’t even stay on! And so, as soldiers in God’s army, we begin with the belt, too – the belt that Paul calls, “the Belt of Truth.”
What is truth? In the Gospel of John, chapter 18, when Jesus was taken in front of Pilate before being condemned to crucifixion, the following conversation took place, “Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” People have been asking this question ever since. “What is truth?”
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) He said to the Jews who had believed in him (John 8:31-32), “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” He said in John 17:17, in a prayer to the Father, “Your word is truth.” There is a clear connection between the “word” and the “truth.” So, it’s not a huge leap to discern that the belt of truth consists two things: the truth revealed in the written word of God – the Bible; and the truth revealed “in the flesh” word of God – Jesus.
Listen to these familiar verses from John 1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God … And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”
In the last several weeks, hopefully you have heard one of the most important lessons to be learned in order to be victorious in the spiritual battle we’re in: The devil is the father of lies. There is no truth in the devil. He hates truth. He loves deception. The devil will come at your mind with all sorts of lies. If he can get you to doubt God’s promises, to doubt God’s goodness, to doubt even the existence of God, and of course, to doubt that there even is such a thing as absolute truth, he’s got you right where he wants you. Spiritual warfare is, at the core, the battle for truth.
Do you remember the tactic the serpent used in the Garden of Eden against Adam & Eve in Genesis 3? It was an attack on truth. God told Adam not to eat of the tree in the middle of the garden. Adam then relayed this information to Eve. But when the serpent had the conversation with Eve, it asked, “Did God really say, ‘you must not eat from any of the trees in the garden?” He was getting her to doubt the truth. God told Adam that if he ate from the tree he would surely die. Satan flatly denied God’s warning. “You will not die.” And so they ate, and every one of us eventually dies. Lying, and getting others to believe lies, is quite literally, “The oldest trick in The Book.”
The only way we can live in true peace – in stability under the stressful demands of life on this earth – is to recognize and reject the lies of the devil, and stabilize ourselves with the Belt of Truth.
We’ve got to get into a relationship with Jesus who is the Word made flesh. In other words, if you spend time learning about Jesus, and invite him to be the LORD of your life, acknowledging him as the Savior of souls, you’re going to have a great start on knowing the most important truths found in the written word. After Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, he was sent out into the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted by the devil. Pick up your Bible and read over Luke 4:1-14 to see how that whole thing went. Three times the devil told Jesus a lie, and three times Jesus knocked the lie back with the truth that he knew from the holy Scriptures. The lie never found a place to land on Jesus. Never. And this is the goal: To get to the place where the lies of the devil, that are like the flies that come out in the summertime, never find a place to land on you because you’re hanging tight with Jesus and you’re getting into the Word of God – the Bible.
We’ve got to pick this Book up at least once a day and read what God has to say to us. The majority of us do not pick up a Bible to read it from Sunday to Sunday. According to the Apostle Paul, who seems to have a pretty good handle on what it takes to live as a follower of Jesus, we need to start reading the Word. No more excuses like, “I don’t understand it.” “I don’t have time.” “I don’t know where to start.” “I’ll get my supply of Bible verses for the week on Sunday. That’ll get me through.”
Question: If your mother or father is still on earth, do they dress you in the morning? What would your parents think if you asked them to help you get dressed tomorrow? They would look at you like you had lost your marbles! If you’re over the age of 5, you’re probably completely dressing yourself every day. You’re not a baby anymore. We need to dress ourselves. My preaching can’t be the only Word you get every week. My preaching is intended by the Spirit to pull the belt that is already on you a little tighter for even greater protection in the battle. Do you get it? “Put on the whole armor” is about you and I choosing to swing into action – taking responsibility for our own physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Can you handle the truth?
We come to the worship gathering on Sunday, but the majority of us won’t make the effort and the commitment to studying the Word of God in Sunday School with other believers because of so many excuses:
• I’m too tired.
• It’s too hard to get the kids up and out on a Sunday morning.
• I just want at least one day to pad around in my slippers.
• It’s time my spouse and I can catch up a little.
• I’ve come to SS before, and I just don’t like it. I didn’t feel like I learned anything.
• I like to watch Robert Schuller during that time.
• My kids don’t want to come, and I don’t want to fight with them on Sunday mornings.
• Etc., etc., etc.
Okay. Just be aware of the truth that this congregation - your church family - has a very strong, ongoing commitment to help you and your children put on and keep on the Belt of Truth (the most important piece of armor). Just be aware of whether you are listening to and buying into the lies of the devil who tells you that Sunday school is no big deal, that making sure your kids are at soccer practice at 9 a.m. on a Saturday is much more important than making sure they are in Sunday school at 9 a.m. on Sundays. Be aware of whether you’re buying into the lies of the devil who tells you that there really isn’t anything of interest to you in SS right now. You can just wait until the Christian Ed. Committee comes up with something more exciting. The devil doesn’t want you, and he certainly doesn’t want your children, to come and learn more about what’s in the Bible. The devil is good at convincing us that we don’t need something that we need desperately. The devil is good at convincing us that something is a waste of time, when in fact, the very opposite is true.
In a recent Barna poll, the question was asked, “Is there absolute truth?” Sixty-six percent of the people polled answered, “there is no such thing as absolute truth.”
Absolute truth would be a truth that is absolutely true for every person in every place in every age. Absolute truth is a truth that has not, does not, and will not change. In order for us to live, we must have oxygen. That’s an absolute truth, isn’t it? 2 + 2 = 4. That’s an absolute truth.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” I believe this is an absolute truth because I believe the Bible is absolute truth. Many people do not believe Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Many do not believe coming to faith in Jesus is the only way to Heaven. Many do not believe the Bible is anything more than a book written by human beings who had an agenda.
Some say that if a person doesn’t believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord of all, but if they lived a good life and tried to do good things, then that will be sufficient for that person to “make it into Heaven,” for surely they will not die apart from God. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Christianity is a life of faith that is built on centuries of historical fact. I cannot force you or anyone else to put on the belt of truth. But for myself, I know that learning the history of God’s people through the Scriptures, learning the promises of God, learning the ways of God by studying the life of Jesus, and putting into practice what I have learned, has given to me a life of peace, joy, and stability even in the midst of life’s greatest trials. Which brings me to the “finally” section of this sermon.
The Belt of Truth needs to translate into a life of truth or it’s merely an ornament on a broken life. Just wearing the belt as a way to keep your armor on is not enough. We must choose to absorb the truths we learn, and live them every day. We mustn’t read that we are to “love our wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,” and then treat our wives like slaves, or objects, or someone to be belittled or abused. We mustn’t read that we are to “respect our husbands,” and then treat them like nothing more than a means to get our own way. We mustn’t read that our children are blessings from the Lord and then not even take time to listen to them, to read to them, to pray with them, and to laugh with them. We mustn’t read that our bodies are “temples for the Holy Spirit,” and then go out and abuse them as if they are nothing but trash cans. We mustn’t read that we are to share with those in need, and then neglect the need around us out of fear.
We must read for ourselves that God IS the provider, and trust that He WILL provide, even though the devil wants us to worry and believe otherwise.
We must read that God IS the comforter, and trust that He WILL comfort us in ways that really matter, even though the devil wants us to think we’ll never be anything but sad and lonely.
We must read that God WILL direct our paths, and then choose to trust that he will do it, instead of listening to the devil who tells us that it is all up to us.
Put on the whole armor of God – starting with the Belt of Truth – know the Bible, know Jesus, and live according to both. The result will be a stable life, stable in body, mind, and spirit – a life that the devil simply cannot mess with. Listen to these synonyms for the word stable: steady, secure, settled, sure, even, constant, firm, unwavering, established, committed, long-standing. Stable is truth and stable does truth.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist… Amen.
(If you need a Bible, we have many Bibles around the church building. All you have to do is ask for one. Also, if you want to start with a short devotional to get you started with reading the Bible, just ask. There are many from which to choose.)
The Whole Armor of God, Part 3
“The Belt of Truth – Stable Is as Stable Does!”
Rev. Meagan Boozer
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist…
Over the last two weeks, we have been looking at the Apostle Paul’s teaching from the book of Ephesians that commands followers of Jesus to take our stand against the wiles of the devil. If you weren’t here, or didn’t get a copy of the sermons in the mail, there are additional copies of the first two messages in the racks in the foyers. Every week of this sermon series will build upon the previous weeks, and so, in order to gain the greatest understanding, I hope you will be intentional about hearing or reading each sermon in the series – and I sure hope you will be intentional about praying for me as I prepare and write.
Today we are starting to look at each individual piece of the armor that Paul tells we must wear. Now understand, this is primarily invisible armor in the physical realm, but not invisible in the spiritual realm. The angels and the demons, all spiritual beings, know exactly who’s wearing what! Paul tells us to put on (to clothe ourselves) in the whole armor of God, starting with the loinbelt, or belt of truth. Interesting place to begin, isn’t it? Usually when we get dressed, the belt is one of the last pieces that we put on. But, for the Roman soldier putting on his armor, the belt was the first and the most important piece he had to wear. Men in those days wore long tunics – not pants. So, asking “who wears the pants in your family?” would not have been a logical question in the first century! When a soldier was putting on his armor to go on duty, he first put his belt on so that we could cinch his tunic up in and under the belt. His breastplate would hook onto the belt to keep it in place, and his sword would attach to the belt as well. Without the belt in place first, the soldier’s armor would be more than a mess – the armor wouldn’t even stay on! And so, as soldiers in God’s army, we begin with the belt, too – the belt that Paul calls, “the Belt of Truth.”
What is truth? In the Gospel of John, chapter 18, when Jesus was taken in front of Pilate before being condemned to crucifixion, the following conversation took place, “Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” People have been asking this question ever since. “What is truth?”
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6) He said to the Jews who had believed in him (John 8:31-32), “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” He said in John 17:17, in a prayer to the Father, “Your word is truth.” There is a clear connection between the “word” and the “truth.” So, it’s not a huge leap to discern that the belt of truth consists two things: the truth revealed in the written word of God – the Bible; and the truth revealed “in the flesh” word of God – Jesus.
Listen to these familiar verses from John 1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God … And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”
In the last several weeks, hopefully you have heard one of the most important lessons to be learned in order to be victorious in the spiritual battle we’re in: The devil is the father of lies. There is no truth in the devil. He hates truth. He loves deception. The devil will come at your mind with all sorts of lies. If he can get you to doubt God’s promises, to doubt God’s goodness, to doubt even the existence of God, and of course, to doubt that there even is such a thing as absolute truth, he’s got you right where he wants you. Spiritual warfare is, at the core, the battle for truth.
Do you remember the tactic the serpent used in the Garden of Eden against Adam & Eve in Genesis 3? It was an attack on truth. God told Adam not to eat of the tree in the middle of the garden. Adam then relayed this information to Eve. But when the serpent had the conversation with Eve, it asked, “Did God really say, ‘you must not eat from any of the trees in the garden?” He was getting her to doubt the truth. God told Adam that if he ate from the tree he would surely die. Satan flatly denied God’s warning. “You will not die.” And so they ate, and every one of us eventually dies. Lying, and getting others to believe lies, is quite literally, “The oldest trick in The Book.”
The only way we can live in true peace – in stability under the stressful demands of life on this earth – is to recognize and reject the lies of the devil, and stabilize ourselves with the Belt of Truth.
We’ve got to get into a relationship with Jesus who is the Word made flesh. In other words, if you spend time learning about Jesus, and invite him to be the LORD of your life, acknowledging him as the Savior of souls, you’re going to have a great start on knowing the most important truths found in the written word. After Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, he was sent out into the wilderness for 40 days to be tempted by the devil. Pick up your Bible and read over Luke 4:1-14 to see how that whole thing went. Three times the devil told Jesus a lie, and three times Jesus knocked the lie back with the truth that he knew from the holy Scriptures. The lie never found a place to land on Jesus. Never. And this is the goal: To get to the place where the lies of the devil, that are like the flies that come out in the summertime, never find a place to land on you because you’re hanging tight with Jesus and you’re getting into the Word of God – the Bible.
We’ve got to pick this Book up at least once a day and read what God has to say to us. The majority of us do not pick up a Bible to read it from Sunday to Sunday. According to the Apostle Paul, who seems to have a pretty good handle on what it takes to live as a follower of Jesus, we need to start reading the Word. No more excuses like, “I don’t understand it.” “I don’t have time.” “I don’t know where to start.” “I’ll get my supply of Bible verses for the week on Sunday. That’ll get me through.”
Question: If your mother or father is still on earth, do they dress you in the morning? What would your parents think if you asked them to help you get dressed tomorrow? They would look at you like you had lost your marbles! If you’re over the age of 5, you’re probably completely dressing yourself every day. You’re not a baby anymore. We need to dress ourselves. My preaching can’t be the only Word you get every week. My preaching is intended by the Spirit to pull the belt that is already on you a little tighter for even greater protection in the battle. Do you get it? “Put on the whole armor” is about you and I choosing to swing into action – taking responsibility for our own physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Can you handle the truth?
We come to the worship gathering on Sunday, but the majority of us won’t make the effort and the commitment to studying the Word of God in Sunday School with other believers because of so many excuses:
• I’m too tired.
• It’s too hard to get the kids up and out on a Sunday morning.
• I just want at least one day to pad around in my slippers.
• It’s time my spouse and I can catch up a little.
• I’ve come to SS before, and I just don’t like it. I didn’t feel like I learned anything.
• I like to watch Robert Schuller during that time.
• My kids don’t want to come, and I don’t want to fight with them on Sunday mornings.
• Etc., etc., etc.
Okay. Just be aware of the truth that this congregation - your church family - has a very strong, ongoing commitment to help you and your children put on and keep on the Belt of Truth (the most important piece of armor). Just be aware of whether you are listening to and buying into the lies of the devil who tells you that Sunday school is no big deal, that making sure your kids are at soccer practice at 9 a.m. on a Saturday is much more important than making sure they are in Sunday school at 9 a.m. on Sundays. Be aware of whether you’re buying into the lies of the devil who tells you that there really isn’t anything of interest to you in SS right now. You can just wait until the Christian Ed. Committee comes up with something more exciting. The devil doesn’t want you, and he certainly doesn’t want your children, to come and learn more about what’s in the Bible. The devil is good at convincing us that we don’t need something that we need desperately. The devil is good at convincing us that something is a waste of time, when in fact, the very opposite is true.
In a recent Barna poll, the question was asked, “Is there absolute truth?” Sixty-six percent of the people polled answered, “there is no such thing as absolute truth.”
Absolute truth would be a truth that is absolutely true for every person in every place in every age. Absolute truth is a truth that has not, does not, and will not change. In order for us to live, we must have oxygen. That’s an absolute truth, isn’t it? 2 + 2 = 4. That’s an absolute truth.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” I believe this is an absolute truth because I believe the Bible is absolute truth. Many people do not believe Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Many do not believe coming to faith in Jesus is the only way to Heaven. Many do not believe the Bible is anything more than a book written by human beings who had an agenda.
Some say that if a person doesn’t believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord of all, but if they lived a good life and tried to do good things, then that will be sufficient for that person to “make it into Heaven,” for surely they will not die apart from God. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Christianity is a life of faith that is built on centuries of historical fact. I cannot force you or anyone else to put on the belt of truth. But for myself, I know that learning the history of God’s people through the Scriptures, learning the promises of God, learning the ways of God by studying the life of Jesus, and putting into practice what I have learned, has given to me a life of peace, joy, and stability even in the midst of life’s greatest trials. Which brings me to the “finally” section of this sermon.
The Belt of Truth needs to translate into a life of truth or it’s merely an ornament on a broken life. Just wearing the belt as a way to keep your armor on is not enough. We must choose to absorb the truths we learn, and live them every day. We mustn’t read that we are to “love our wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,” and then treat our wives like slaves, or objects, or someone to be belittled or abused. We mustn’t read that we are to “respect our husbands,” and then treat them like nothing more than a means to get our own way. We mustn’t read that our children are blessings from the Lord and then not even take time to listen to them, to read to them, to pray with them, and to laugh with them. We mustn’t read that our bodies are “temples for the Holy Spirit,” and then go out and abuse them as if they are nothing but trash cans. We mustn’t read that we are to share with those in need, and then neglect the need around us out of fear.
We must read for ourselves that God IS the provider, and trust that He WILL provide, even though the devil wants us to worry and believe otherwise.
We must read that God IS the comforter, and trust that He WILL comfort us in ways that really matter, even though the devil wants us to think we’ll never be anything but sad and lonely.
We must read that God WILL direct our paths, and then choose to trust that he will do it, instead of listening to the devil who tells us that it is all up to us.
Put on the whole armor of God – starting with the Belt of Truth – know the Bible, know Jesus, and live according to both. The result will be a stable life, stable in body, mind, and spirit – a life that the devil simply cannot mess with. Listen to these synonyms for the word stable: steady, secure, settled, sure, even, constant, firm, unwavering, established, committed, long-standing. Stable is truth and stable does truth.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist… Amen.
(If you need a Bible, we have many Bibles around the church building. All you have to do is ask for one. Also, if you want to start with a short devotional to get you started with reading the Bible, just ask. There are many from which to choose.)
