Day Forty : Holy Saturday

The last day of Lent.  The end is near.

I often wonder what that first Holy Saturday mush have been like for the disciples.  Friday was horrific, all their hopes were dashed.

They didn’t know that Sunday was coming.

They didn’t get a chance to prepare for a meeting with the risen Christ. 

We know what is coming.

What do we need to do to prepare ourselves for tomorrow?

Day Thirty–Nine : Good Friday

PSALM 22

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
       Why are you so far from saving me,
       so far from the words of my groaning?

² O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
       by night, and am not silent.

³ Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
       you are the praise of Israel.

⁴ In you our fathers put their trust;
       they trusted and you delivered them.

⁵ They cried to you and were saved;
       in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

⁶ But I am a worm and not a man,
       scorned by men and despised by the people.

⁷ All who see me mock me;
       they hurl insults, shaking their heads:

⁸ "He trusts in the LORD;
       let the LORD rescue him.
       Let him deliver him,
       since he delights in him."

⁹ Yet you brought me out of the womb;
       you made me trust in you
       even at my mother's breast.

¹⁰ From birth I was cast upon you;
       from my mother's womb you have been my God.

¹¹ Do not be far from me,
       for trouble is near
       and there is no one to help.

¹² Many bulls surround me;
       strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

¹³ Roaring lions tearing their prey
       open their mouths wide against me.

¹⁴ I am poured out like water,
       and all my bones are out of joint.
       My heart has turned to wax;
       it has melted away within me.

¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
       and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
       you lay me  in the dust of death.

¹⁶ Dogs have surrounded me;
       a band of evil men has encircled me,
       they have pierced my hands and my feet.

¹⁷ I can count all my bones;
       people stare and gloat over me.

¹⁸ They divide my garments among them
       and cast lots for my clothing.

¹⁹ But you, O LORD, be not far off;
       O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

²⁰ Deliver my life from the sword,
       my precious life from the power of the dogs.

²¹ Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
       save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

²² I will declare your name to my brothers;
       in the congregation I will praise you.

²³ You who fear the LORD, praise him!
       All you descendants of Jacob, honour him!
       Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

²⁴ For he has not despised or disdained
       the suffering of the afflicted one;
       he has not hidden his face from him
       but has listened to his cry for help.

²⁵ From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
       before those who fear you will I fulfil my vows.

²⁶ The poor will eat and be satisfied;
       they who seek the LORD will praise him—
       may your hearts live forever!

²⁷ All the ends of the earth
       will remember and turn to the LORD,
       and all the families of the nations
       will bow down before him,

²⁸ for dominion belongs to the LORD
       and he rules over the nations.

²⁹ All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
       all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
       those who cannot keep themselves alive.

³⁰ Posterity will serve him;
       future generations will be told about the Lord.

³¹ They will proclaim his righteousness
       to a people yet unborn—
       for he has done it.

Day Thirty-Eight : Maundy Thursday

Many people do not ‘celebrate’ Maundy Thursday.  It is the night before Good Friday, where we remember :

• The institution of the Last Supper
• Jesus washing his disciples feet
• Jesus praying in the Garden.

 

Last year, I chose to focus on the disciples keeping watch.  This year I want to think about the washing of the feet. (But go read last year’s one anyway, it was quite good. )

 

Jesus has only hours left to show his disciples what they need to do, and leave a message with them.  And he chooses the object lesson of washing their feet.

He shows his love.  Not just saying “I love you”, by showing them :

1. He knew how filthy their feet were, yet he loved them enough to wash them clean.  (Don’t forget, Judas was there as well.)
2. He knew they didn’t understand it, but he loved them enough to do it anyway.
3. He knew they would resist Him.  (“Master, you shall never wash my feet.”) Yet he did it anyway.

If my child goes rolling in mud, I imagine they would be pretty filthy, clueless, and resistant to being cleaned.  Yet I would still love them, because of who they are, and who I am. 

That’s how much Jesus loved them.  That’s how much he loves us.

That’s why he was prepared for what was coming tomorrow…

Day Thirty-Seven : (The Sword of the Spirit)

Take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. – Ephesians 6:17

Just as we had to keep moving our shield, we need to keep moving our (S)word.  We have gaps in our armour.  If it were not so, we would not be able to move.

Sometimes the enemy might be able to penetrate those gaps.  We need to know beforehand where they are, and move our Sword to protect them.

If I know that I might doubt my Salvation, I need to be prepared with verses that assure me of it.

If I know that I might doubt the power of Righteousness, I need to be prepared with verses about it.

If I know that I am easily led into doubt, I need to be prepared with verses to give me hope.

We need to keep moving our sword around, and using it where it is most needed.  We cannot assume one position, and hope the enemy will throw himself on our sword.  Just as we can’t assume that one verse about Salvation will solve all our problems. 

Every verse is used in a different way, or position.  And we need to be prepared to keep using them, until the enemy is defeated.

Day Thirty-Six : Hold onto it. (The Sword of the Spirit)

Take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. – Ephesians 6:17

Just like our Shield, our Sword can get quite heavy sometimes.  We need to build our strength by using it all the time.

We also can’t afford to put it down.

If we don’t carry our Sword all the time, we might not know where it is when we need it.

In the same way, if we don’t keep going into the word, we might not have any words to use when the time comes.

Jesus was inspired to fight the Devil with words from Scripture.  I have been inspired to fight temptation and evil with Scriptures, but only scriptures I already knew.

If we have never read certain passages of the Bible, it is harder for the Spirit to bring them to our minds.

So keep hanging onto the (S)word, and know where to find it.

Day Thirty-Five : Taking lessons (Sword of the Spirit)

Take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. – Ephesians 6:17

Do you know how to use a sword?

Yeah, me neither.  I mean I know the basics – Handle goes in my hand, pointy end goes in the enemy.  But I think there might be more to being a great sword-fighter than that.

Roman soldiers received training in using their sword, and they practised all the time.

We are lucky, because the Sword we wield is the Sword of the Spirit.  It is a weapon used by the Holy Spirit Himself. 

So sometimes we might not know how to use it.  We might need some instructions.  But that is cool, because if we ask him to, he will show us how to use it.

So I always pray before opening my Bible that the Spirit will open my heart and mind, and show me how to use the word that I am reading.

In the same way, sometimes the Spirit might lead us to a verse to be used in a situation.  Because He not only trains us in times of peace, but also helps us in times of war. 

 

So practise with your sword, and listen to what the Sword-master tells you.  One day it might save your life.

Day Thirty-Four : Get in close with (The Sword of the Spirit)

Take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. – Ephesians 6:17

We spoke yesterday about not needing any other weapons.  Our (S)word is enough.

The reason Roman soldiers carried other weapons, such as spears and darts, was so that they could engage the enemy from afar.  Defeat them before they got close enough to do damage.

We don’t get to do that.  The sword is a close up weapon.  It doesn’t do us any good from far away, we can only use it once we are face-to-face with the enemy.

We need to be ready to pull it out and use it at a moment’s notice.

Is your sword ready?  Do you know how to use it?

Day Thirty-Three : All you need is (The Sword of the Spirit)

Take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. – Ephesians 6:17

The Sword of the Spirit.  Which is the word of God.

The sword is a weapon.  With it we can not only defend ourselves, but also fight back.  In the wilderness Jesus not only matched the Devil with scriptures, he bested him.  He fought back.

A Roman soldier would carry many weapons:  The Sword, spears, daggers, and even darts.

As Christians, we only need one weapon.  The (S)word.

 

Because it is the only weapon we will ever need.  Everything we ever need is in the word.

Day Thirty-Two : The Sword of the Spirit

Take … the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. – Ephesians 6:17

It doesn’t matter how good your armour is, if you don’t have an offensive weapon, you are just a large, well-armoured, moving target. 

Taking up the Sword is important, because it takes the fight to the enemy.

Day Thirty-One : Don’t take it off (Helmet of Salvation)

Take the helmet of salvation… (Ephesians 6:17)

 

Don’t take your helmet off.  Not ever.

You only have to take it off for one moment to get hit in the head.  Even if you tell yourself “I can put it back on again just now.”…

Don’t.

 

In the same way, we need to persevere until the very end with our salvation.

 

If we stray from our Salvation, or stop striving to endure in our faith, we might lose the protection. 

Not lose our salvation, but lose our ability to use it to protect ourselves from spiritual attack.

Day Thirty: Proud of (Helmet of Salvation)

Take the helmet of salvation… (Ephesians 6:17)

I spoke yesterday about being proud of our helmets.

And we should be. 

 

Not proud of our helmet, but what it represents.

 

We had no part in our salvation, and have done nothing to deserve or earn it.  So we cannot be said to be proud of it.

 

But we need to wear it proudly, as a badge of who we belong to.

 

Just as a soldier would proudly the helmet of his legion, to show that he was a Roman Soldier, so we need to wear our Salvation boldly, to show that we are Christians.

Day Twenty-Nine : Victory (Helmet of Salvation)

Take the helmet of salvation… (Ephesians 6:17)

 

A Helmet was more than a functional piece of armour.  It was a symbol.  When the officers of a conquering force rode into a captured city, they used to do so with large purple plumes on their helmets.

The plumes on the helmet were a sign of victory, and showed everyone that they were conquerors.

Do you see where I am going with this.

Through Christ (and his Salvation) we are more than conquerors.  Satan is defeated, Sin is defeated, our sinful nature is defeated.

We just need to wear our Salvation proudly to let them all know.

Day Twenty-Eight : Keep it out (Helmet of Salvation)

Take the helmet of salvation… (Ephesians 6:17)

We said yesterday that Satan attacks our mind in two ways. 
The first was to make us doubt our salvation.

The second is to put ideas into it.

Often thoughts and ideas we do not want to entertain will come to us.

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. – Romans 7:15

 

When sinful or inappropriate thoughts come to us, we need to recognise their source, and act accordingly.

Our Salvation means we no longer have to give in to our sinful desires, we need to remind ourself of this… and accept the salvation which frees us from the “body of death” Paul refers to.

Day Twenty-Seven : Guard your mind. (Helmet of Salvation)

Take the helmet of salvation… (Ephesians 6:17)

 

The purpose of the helmet is to guard the mind.  Our head, and our mind, are some of our most sensitive parts.  A single blow to the head could kill, or seriously disable, a soldier.

In the same way, an attack on our mind can cripple our faith.

How does the devil attack our mind?

Two ways.

The first, which we shall examine today is by making us doubt our own salvation.

He will tell us that we haven’t really been saved, that we are going to hell, that we are unworthy etc. 

He will lie to us, and we need to keep those thoughts out of our head by putting on the helmet of Salvation.

By reminding ourselves that we are saved.  Not by our own efforts, but by the blood of Christ.

 

Salvation belongs to all who accept Christ, and once we put on that helmet, nothing should make us doubt that.

Day Twenty-Six : Helmet of Salvation

Take the helmet of salvation… (Ephesians 6:17)

 

According to Wikipedia (I can’t believe I am quoting them) Salvation refers to being saved from “some or all of the following”:

• from biological death, by providing for them an eternal life or long-lasting afterlife
• from spiritual death, by providing divine law, illumination, and judgment.
• from divine punishment, particularly from Hell, by granting them acceptance into Heaven.
• from having sinful character and conduct, through a process of positive moral change.
• from the influence of evil, oppression, etc

But why is it described as a helmet?

Let us see…

Day Twenty-Five : Push (Shield of Faith)

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  (Ephesians 6:16)

I mentioned 300 yesterday.  Have you ever seen it?

It is a pretty bloody movie, but it was quite educational.  How did 300 men hold off millions of trained soldiers?

They positioned themselves well, and they let the enemy exhaust themselves.

In the first major battle scene, the Spartan warriors don’t attack the Persian soldiers.  They crouch down behind their shields and let the Persians wear themselves out attacking them.  Then at a signal, they all push back.  Hard.  The Persians fall over, the Spartans advance, stab the fallen Persians with their swords, and then crouch down again.

And again.

And again.

Until the Persians are all defeated.

 

Sometimes we come under attack, when people throw things at us that we don’t know how to deal with.  We know we should respond with an appropriate scripture or bible verse, but we can’t think of one.  We don’t know how to use our sword at that moment.

So we wait.  We hold onto our shield, and let them batter themselves against our faith with their doubts and questions.  We can’t let them win, just because we don’t know the answer.

Then, we push back with our faith.  We say (to them, or ourselves) “I don't know the answer, but I have faith that there is one.”  Then we “fight back” with a scripture.  It might be about the situation, or it might just be “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.”  or “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you.”

We use our faith to shield us from attack until we are ready to fight back.  So we don’t lose courage and back off under constant attack.

Day Twenty-Four : Cover up (Shield of Faith)

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  (Ephesians 6:16)

Have you ever seen the movie 300?  Or that scene in Gladiator where Maximus and the gladiators defeat the charioteers? 

What makes the shield work well in these moments is that the soldiers use their shields to protect themselves, and the guy next to them.   Shields can be used like that.  You can use it to cover other people as well.

Same as faith.

Our faith can be used to cover others as well, especially when theirs might be weaker in areas. 

When the Devil tells me I am worthless, I might lose faith in my own worth.  However if all those around me have faith in my worth, it makes it easier for me to believe it.  I get cover from your over-lapping shields.

Day Twenty-Three : Strong enough to lift (The Shield of Faith)

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  (Ephesians 6:16)

Faith is not easy.

When everything in the world tells you to believe one thing…  When everyone says you are crazy to believe something else…
When you can’t see what you hope for…

How do you keep it up?  How do you hold onto your faith?

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)

Sometimes having faith is hard.  Your faith feels heavy.

Just like I am sure the huge shield was heavy.  A solid sheet of steel, covered in wood and leather, is no joke to lift. 
It was hard!

So how did the Roman soldier get better at lifting it?

By lifting it every day.

At first it was heavy, and clumsy, and kept feeling like it was holding him back.  It would be easier to just drop it and run.
But he kept lifting it, day after day.  And only by doing the heavy lifting, was he able to strengthen his shield arm to carry the shield.

 

We need to strengthen our faith, but doing some “heavy lifting”.  The more we choose to hold onto our faith, and keep holding onto it, the stronger our lifting arm will become, and the easier it will be to have faith. 

The more we rely on faith, the more our faith is rewarded.

Day Twenty-Two : Move, move, move (the Shield of Faith)

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  (Ephesians 6:16)

So we have taken up the Shield.  Now what?

Well, the Roman shield (or Scutum) was quite large.  Large enough to hide behind, but not large enough to cover your whole body while you were standing.

You had to actively move it between yourself and enemy attacks.

You had to be conscious of your shield, and keep moving it to where it was most needed.

In the same way, we need to be aware of the attacks that come against us, and be actively holding onto our faith, and putting it between ourselves and the attack.

“The world is telling me that … but I have faith that…..”

“Satan tells me that I am weak, but I know that I am strong.”

Where do you most need faith today?  Where is Satan attacking you?  How are you going to shield yourself with faith?

Day Twenty-One : Take up (the Shield of Faith)

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  (Ephesians 6:16)

Up until now, we were told to “put on” the armour of God.  To wear it, to strap it on.  Now we are told something different.

To take it up.

Faith is like a Shield.  It is not passive.  A soldier could go into battle carrying his shield on his back or his arm, but it could do him no good there.

He had to hold onto it.  He had to take it up.

In the same way, we need to hold onto our faith.  We need to constantly take it up.  If we don’t hold on to it tightly enough, we could lose it.  If we lay it down to rest for a while… no-one is helped.

Faith is not easy.  We can’t just say “I have faith.”  We  have to daily have faith.  We  need to hold onto it. 

Day Twenty : Shield of Faith

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
(Ephesians 6:16)

 

The shield of faith.  My favourite item on the list I think.

What is faith?

… faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
(Hebrews 11:1)

“sure of what we hope for….”

Without hope, there is no faith.
Without being sure of that hope, there is no faith.
Hope comes in the morning, but faith gets you through the night.

What do you hope for this Lenten Season?
Where does your faith lie?

Day Nineteen : Keep your balance

and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

Look at your feet right now.  Are you wearing shoes?

One shoe, or two?  Are they both the same?

 

It is silly to wear two different size shoes, or to wear only one shoe.  You need to be equally balanced over the whole shoe, on both feet.

In the same way, we need to be balanced in the Gospel. 
The whole Gospel.  We don’t get to pick and choose which parts we like, and which parts we don’t.

Jesus told us to feed and clothe the poor, he also told us to spread the good news, he told us to do good works. 

He didn’t tell us to pick and choose which we would rather do.  He wanted us to do it all. 

A gospel that gives preference to social welfare at the expense of evangelism, or one that focuses on loving our neighbours without feeding them, or one that spread the Good News about the next life, but not this life… these are unbalanced Gospels, and we can not stand on them.

We need to be equally aware of all aspects of what we have been taught, and make an effort to be balanced in our reading of the Good News.

Day Eighteen : Stand by me (shoes of Good News)

and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

We spoke the other day about how the Gospel of Peace (Good News) keeps us from injuring our feet, by keeping us at peace with our fellow man.

But it also keeps us at peace with our God.

If we didn’t have the Good News of our salvation through Christ to stand upon, we would be pretty much at war with God.  Our sinful nature would be at war with his Holiness.  Our spirit would contend with His Spirit. 

We would have nowhere to stand, and nowhere to hide.

 

Luckily for us, we have the Good News.  We are reconciled to our God, and we are able to wear the Helmet of our Salvation, thus we can stand up straight in his presence.

Not because we deserve it, but because we can rely on our shoes.

Day Seventeen : Stand firm

and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

Often times we associate readiness with being ready to spread the Gospel.  We think of this as mission work.

But Paul was talking about Spiritual Warfare, and attack.  Not mission.

Readiness here meant ready as in “standing on ready ground” or “standing steady.”

The Roman boot was shod with spikes of steel, so that the soldier could stand on loose ground.  With all that heavy armour on, it would be so easy to slip and fall at the best of times.  On shifting ground, such as the sands and hills of the Middle East…. it would be impossible without good shoes.

In the same way, we often find the ground shifting under our feet in this modern age.  We are told that morality is changing, and what was once taboo is acceptable.  Truth has become flexible, and we don’t know who or what to believe.

We need to stand on something firm, something ready, in order to keep our footing.

 

The Gospel never changes, it never becomes relative.  It is our firm footing.   We need to stand on it daily, and trust in our footing.

Day Sixteen : Shod (with Gospel of peace)

and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

The original word was also translated as “under-worn.” 

A Roman soldiers feet were protected not by sandals, but a steel hobbed boot.  The thick leather, with metal studs, was tied tightly to the bottom of his foot.

Unlike the Greek greave-boot, which aimed at protecting the leg, the Roman caligul aimed at protecting the sole of the foot.

 

Because Romans knew that the enemy was likely to attack them in their most sensitive spot.

Have you ever stood on a stone, or even a sharp stick?
It hurts.  The bottom of your foot is very sensitive.

In Roman times, soldiers used to put spikes and sharpened stick on the road to try and hobble attacking armies.  Spikes that would go right through a soft shoe.

So the Romans wore toughened boots, to protect their most sensitive place.

 

In the same way, the enemy will throw annoyances in our way.  He will try and make us angry with our loved ones, and lose our temper.  He will make is unforgiving, and cruel.  He will throw these little traps in our path, and we will cut our feet on them.

How do you stand firm in the face of an attack when you are limping on an injury to your soul, like a hatred you are harbouring for your brother.

The Good News calls us all to be at peace with one another, so that we can stand in righteousness.

Day Fifteen : Don’t do something, just stand there. (Shod with the Gospel)

¹¹ Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

The shoes, like the belt, do not seem like cool weapons.  After all, they are only shoes.

But without shoes, how do you stand.

It doesn’t matter how well armed you are, if you can’t stand, you will fall down.

 

The Gospel (good news) of Peace helps us to stand.

Because it reminds us why we are standing.

It gives us a purpose.  To stand.

 

Otherwise why are we even bothering to stand and fight?

Without the Good News, our Righteousness mean nothing.
Without a risen saviour, we have no faith to hold onto.
Without a Christ, we have no salvation.

Day Fourteen : Boots of Gospel of Peace

and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
(Ephesians 6:15)

I read somewhere that the average person spends more on their feet than on their head.  A person will think nothing of spending a fortune on good shoes for their feet, but will begrudge every cent spent on books and material to nourish their heart and mind.

Our Christian walk is a walk.  And to walk properly, we need to take care of our feet.

Just saying.

Day Thirteen : Make it Shine (Breastplate of Righteousness)

It doesn’t help to get given a breastplate, and leave it lying in your tent at camp.  In the same way, we can’t accept righteousness, and then not put it on each day.  We need to keep it on, and keep it well oiled and shined.

We need to be seeking righteousness every day, even though we know we can not earn it.

Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Galatians 3:6)

Abraham was held to be righteous, not because he was, but because his faith in God allowed God to make him so.  He put on the righteousness daily, by walking with God.

We need to be shining our armour everyday.  Not because we can make it any stronger, but because not doing so will cause it to rust and weaken.

In the same way we need to work on living lives worthy of our righteousness.  Not so that we can earn it, but if our lives do not reflect the righteousness to which we have been called, we will weaken it.

It is harder to say “I am righteous!” in a loud clear voice when you know there are things you are doing wrong.  It tarnishes our righteousness.  It doesn’t take it away, it just makes it harder for the world (and us) to see it.

Day Twelve : Keep it on. (Breastplate of Righteousness)

Do you know what I like about the breastplate as an item of armour.  You can put it on, and forget about it.

If you are fighting with a sword and a shield, you need to be constantly swinging away with them, and trusting in your abilities.

But eventually you will slip, and a blow will get past your defences.

Then you better hope you are wearing a breastplate. 

Because it doesn’t matter how bad a soldier you are, and how weak you are.  If you are wearing a breastplate, it will stop the sword for you. 

Righteousness is awesome like that as well.  We don’t have to be good Christians, or strong.

We just need to put it on every day.

 

 

 

Day Eleven : Look out behind you. (Breastplate of Righteousness)

Stand firm then, ….. with the breastplate of righteousness in place…
(Ephesians 6:14)

 

A breast plate covers your chest.

It is strongest at the front.

 

If you are wearing one, you don’t want to be caught turning your back on the enemy.  Because your protection is strongest when you face him/them.

Righteousness is like that as well.

We need to be confidently standing up to the lies and attacks of the devil, and standing our ground.  If we try to run… if we try to hide… if we try to deny the person of the Christ who we put on each day…

We can not rely on his protection, can we.

Think about that one for a moment.

Day Ten : Do-It-Yourself (Breastplate of Righteousness)

Stand firm then, ….. with the breastplate of righteousness in place…
(Ephesians 6:14)

Soldiers going into battle would be very careful about putting on the right breastplate.  They might all look the same, but sometimes you might get one with cracks in it, or a weak spot.

In theory a soldier could make his own breastplate.  He could find a piece of metal, and beat it into the right shape.  But however much it might look like a real breastplate, it would be weak and useless.  The first thrust with a sword would go clean through it.

It might actually be worse than wearing nothing -  a glancing blow might cause the “breastplate” to crumple and stab the soldier.  The very thing he tried to use to protect him might hurt him.

In the same way, we could try and make our own righteousness, but it would be worse than useless.

All of us have become like one who is unclean,
   and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
   and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
(Isaiah 64:6)

Our own righteousness is no better than a filthy rag.  If you use a filthy rag to try and clean something, you just make it more filthy.  If we try to use our own righteousness as a breastplate, the slightest knock might kill us.

We need to put on someone else’s righteousness.

We can never start thinking that we can be righteous in our own strength.  Any more than we could make a breastplate of righteousness out of aluminium foil. 

And if we try, we will lead ourselves into pride and walk down paths that take us straight into Satan’s clutches.

Our righteousness comes from the Lord.

End of story.

Day Nine : Cover it up! (Breastplate of Righteousness)

Stand firm then, ….. with the breastplate of righteousness in place…
(Ephesians 6:14)

 

The Breastplate covered the most important part of a soldier – His heart.

It gave him confidence to go into battle, knowing that his softest parts were covered.

Satan will attack us in our hearts, and cause us to doubt ourselves.  He will tell us our heart is impure, and we can not approach God with confidence.

Nonsense.

Righteousness is about being right with God.  We have been justified through faith, and we are free of condemnation.

Jesus opened the way for us to be righteous, by being our righteousness. 

We put on his righteousness, just as we put on a breastplate.  It is not our own, we borrow it from Him.  He gives it to us a free gift, and it covers us and protects our heart.

 

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, … if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
(Romans 8)

If we were not wearing such a shiny and bright breastplate, we might be ashamed to approach God.  But because of His righteousness we are put right with him, we can stand with confidence before all men, demons, and GOD himself.

That is all.

Day Eight : The Breastplate of Righteousness

Stand firm then, ….. with the breastplate of righteousness in place…
(Ephesians 6:14)

 

We have spent a week looking at the Belt of Truth, and now we move onto some shiny stuff…. The Breastplate of Righteousness.

Righteousness in mentioned over 300 times in the Bible.  In Isaiah 59 (v17) we are told that GOD himself “… put on righteousness as his breastplate.”

So why do we need Righteousness?  And why is it compared to a Breastplate?

Righteousness implies being right with GOD.  How do you even do that?

Day Seven : All together now (Belt of Truth)

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist… (Ephesians 6:14a)

The belt is the first item of armour that is mentioned, but it is also the last to be put on.

Because it keeps everything else in place.

The belt would go over the Breastplate of Righteousness.  It kept the tunic tucked away.  It gave somewhere to hang the sword.

Truth needs to cover everything, and keep it in place.

How can you use Righteousness as a breastplate, if you don’t know the truth of right and wrong?

It holds our whole armour together.

Satan will try to confuse us, and tell us we are doing things wrong.

“You aren’t forgiven.”  or “You aren’t using the Bible properly” or “You aren’t righteous.”

These are lies, but we need to keep truth buckled around us at all times.  As we said before, we need to accept the Truth of God’s promises.

"You have been forgiven”
”I love you”
”I have given you a way to resist evil”

Unless we are able to accept these Truths, we will never be able to use the rest of our armour.

It all starts with the Truth.

Day Six : Let it show (Belt of Truth)

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist… (Ephesians 6:14a)

The cingulim, or soldiers belt, was worn for functionality, but also as a badge of office.

A soldier wore his belt proudly to show who’s army he belonged to, and higher ranking officers would wear different colour belts, some with a sash or special designs.

And nobody doubted for a moment what it meant.

The belt told a story.

Does our belt tell a story?

Do people see that we are wearing the belt of Truth, or do we let lies and half-truths slip in as well?  Do we show the world who we belong to, or compromise our witness?

 

Am I speaking about someone in a way that I would not if they were in the room?  Would I want my friends, mother, or children to hear what I am saying?

If not, then I am probably not showing the Truth.  Truth is more than an absence of lies, it is saying what is right at all times, and never saying what is wrong.  It is being the same person in front of all people, and hiding nothing.

It is about proclaiming Truth by my actions, and wearing it proudly on my belt.

What Truth are we showing to the world?

Day Five : Tucked away (Belt of Truth)

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist… (Ephesians 6:14a)

 

Belts were useful for keeping our pants from falling down, but they were also used for something else.  If you wanted to run in a flowing robe or tunic, you might trip over your own clothes.

So soldiers, and other people, would reach down, and pick up the trailing material, and tuck it into their belt.

The belt kept them from falling over anything, and allowed them to move faster.  (Even if they looked like they were running in baggy pants.)

 

I heard a saying once.  “Always tell the truth, it is easier to remember.”  I often see that in practise.  People get caught up in lies, telling themselves things like “It is for her own good” or “It doesn’t really matter” or “Sometimes the truth hurts more than a lie.”

The problem with a small lie is that it is like being a little pregnant…. sooner or later it will show, and give birth to something bigger.

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
(John 8:31-32)

We need to live in the light of the Truth, always.

There is no excuse to depart from the Truth.  God is Truth, Satan is the Father of Lies.  When we tell lies, we are speaking his language.

We need to always tuck ourselves into the belt of Truth, so that nothing will hang down and trip us up on our path.

Day Four : Keep it up (Belt of Truth)

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist… (Ephesians 6:14a)

Have your pants ever fallen down?

Mine have.

I blame it all on my belt.  If I had tightened it more, it would have kept my pants up.

So we come to the second use for a belt.  It keeps your pants up.

 

It would do a soldier no good to wave his sword at Satan with his one hand, while he held up his pants with the other.  Satan is just going to laugh at him, and so is the rest of the world.

 

I am a child of the Living God.  Satan needs to fear me, not be amused by me.  He needs to run when he sees me coming, not point and laugh.

 

But until I accept this Truth, I will always be afraid of him.  I will be afraid that my pants will fall down when I confront him, and I will expose everything.

 

But I do not need to be afraid.  God has told me the truth.  About me, and about Satan.  I know who I am.  I know who he is. 

I just need to keep that Truth firmly buckled around my waist.

Day Three : Hang on (Belt of Truth)

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist… (Ephesians 6:14a)

Soldiers wore a belt for a number of reasons.  But the most important was this… to have somewhere to hang their sword.

Most of us would rather talk about the Sword of the Spirit, and say that we need to know our Bible to use it. The Sword is much cooler than the belt.

But have you ever tried to carry one?

Those things were not light.  If you tried to carry your sword in your hand for a full-day march to face the enemy, your arm would be so tired when you got there, you wouldn’t be able to lift it.

In the same way, we need to have the knowledge of God’s truth to hang our knowledge of his word on.  Otherwise we might get tired.

One of the first things Satan always attacks with is doubt.

• “Did God really say you couldn’t have the apple?”
• “Surely God won’t mind if you turn some stone into bread?”
• “The Bible is old, it doesn’t really mean you can’t….”

We need to keep reminding ourselves that the Word (The Sword) is God’s truth, and inspired for us today.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work”
(1 Timothy 3:16-17)

We need to know the Truth of this.  The Truth that allows us to hang the Sword when it gets too heavy for us.  When we don’t know what to believe, we don’t have to worry.  We have decided in our minds (and hearts) that God’s Word is TRUTH.  So we have something to hang our weapon on.

Day Two : The Belt of Truth

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist… (Ephesians 6:14a)

I don’t know about you, but I tend to think of the belt as being the baby-brother of all the armour.  Kind of like the black sheep of the family.  A belt is okay…. but it is not a sword, or a shield.  Give me the cool bits with sharp edges.

Yet Paul starts with the belt.  He says “Stand firm… with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.”

So obviously there is more to this belt thing than meets the eye.

 

Over 80 times in the Gospels, Jesus starts a sentence with the words “I tell you the truth.”  That’s a lot of truth.

Truth comes in many varieties:  Truth with ourselves, truth with others, truth with GOD.

Over the next week we will be looking closer at truth, and why it is mentioned first.  And why it is compared to a belt.

Day One : Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday, and the start of Lent.

I will be doing daily (I hope) posts on this blog to help me with my Lenten discipline.  As I struggle over the next 40 days to draw closer to GOD, I know that I will come under spiritual attack.  My faith often takes the biggest knock over Lent.

So this year I want to focus on what I need to do to protect myself.  I have decided to focus on Ephesians 6.

¹¹ Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

This passage contains some pretty awesome spiritual truths that we often overlook.  So each Thursday I will be looking at a different item of armour, and then spending the rest of the week discussing it. 

I hope you are will stick around, or at least pop in every now and again to leave a comment.  I love feedback.