What does it mean to speak in tongues? I’d bet you that most people don’t have a clue. But what is distressing is that a great number of Christians don’t know either. Why is that a problem? Because it is written about, in several places, in the Bible! That’s right! Our Bible. Not some OTHER church’s Bible, it’s written about in every single Bible out there. And yet, speaking in tongues has gotten a really bad rap in many mainline Christian denominations. When I hear people talk about speaking in tongues, it’s often done in hushed tones as if they don’t want anybody to know that they are involved in any such thing or even thinking about it. Lutherans often give off the impression that they are too “cultivated and realistic” in their Christianity than to give speaking in tongues too much thought. We leave it to those wild and crazy Pentacostals (who, by the way, own the fastest growing Christian denomination in the world).
My goal today is to do two things: First, to help you see that speaking in tongues is NOT some abnormal spiritual gift. It is no worse than any other gift of God spoken about in the Bible such as hospitality, evangelism, prayer or artistic ability. Second, I want to impress upon you all that speaking in tongues in no better than any other spiritual gift. You are NOT saved by speaking in tongues and it does not PROVE that you are a Christian any more than a Christian is proved by their ability to evangelize, but, just as true, speaking in tongues is not a “weird” gift . . . it should be considered normal for the Christian life. In fact, this spiritual gift is part of our armor, the protection that God provides for us to fight the Devil’s schemes. So, we should not only know about it, we should desire to do it.
Paul says as much in the 14th chapter of his first letter to the Corinthian church. He points out, “I would like every one of you to speak in tongues.” Now, were you all aware of that!? That Saint Paul wants you speak in tongues? Does that surprise you?
Speaking in tongues can mean one of two things based on what we read in the Bible. First, it means speaking in a language that someone else understands but you do not, another earthly language you might say. This happened most famously at Pentecost according to the book of Acts (2), “When the day of Pentecost came they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.” In other words, the Holy Spirit might give the ability to communicate the gospel message to someone in a language you cannot speak. This would be a sign for an unbeliever, according to Saint Paul, that God was truly real and active in this world. You can’t fake speaking another language that you don’t know.
A second understanding of speaking in tongues is to speak in a language that perhaps only God understands. Paul says it this way in Romans, “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express”. In 1st Corinthians 14, Paul writes that “anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit.”
I was not always comfortable with the concept of speaking in tongues. In fact, it’s only been in the last several years as I became more and more focused on prayer and healing prayer that I really encountered people who would talk about this with me. I knew that speaking in tongues was somewhere in the Bible but, honestly, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you where. It was like this mysterious activity that I didn’t think good little Lutheran boys like me messed around with. But someone asked me once if I had what they called a “personal prayer language”. What was that? I asked. Well, they explained, do you sometimes pray to God in a way that no one else would understand if they were sitting right there in the room. When you are praying about something very difficult or heart-wrenching, do you sometimes feel like you don’t have the words to say and wish you could keep going and just keep praying anyway knowing that God understands? I thought about it and, yes, there were times where I prayed and just couldn’t express myself with words, but I still wanted to pray and (sometimes) I did. But was that speaking in tongues? That wasn’t THAT big of a deal was it?
They encouraged me to try it out some time. The next time I got to a difficult prayer where I was just so sad, or so happy or so confused that I didn’t know what to say, they encouraged me to stop worrying about saying the right words and keep praying anyway. So, when I got back to my office, and the door was closed, and I knew that nobody was listening except for God. I started praying. I asked God to help me to trust him enough to feel silly. I asked God to keep me faithful to His Word and not rest on my own understanding. And then I took the risk and just started making what I would call sounds. Just sorta babbling. I wondered if I was just making them up at first and, who knows, maybe I was, I don’t know, but, as I continued, it was just so freeing to express the feelings I was feeling to God without worrying about saying just the right thing.
I don’t always know what to say to God. Sometimes I’m so grateful that a simple thank-you just doesn’t seem to cut it. Sometimes I get the feeling that I need some extra strength but I don’t know for what. So, I trust what the scripture says, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. Nowadays, when I don’t know what to pray, I let the Spirit pray for me.
“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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.” Prayer is a necessary part of this armor. There is too much that our humanity just cannot bear in this world. We are welcoming today a group from Lutheran church of Hope in Des Moines who we joined for a mission trip to El Paso Texas two weeks ago. While El Paso is the safest city in the country, just across the border is the most dangerous city in the world in Juarez, Mexico where they average 8 murders a day. 8 murders a day! Where can you start in praying for something like that? What do you say? How can you express the feelings of fear, anger, frustration and even hope in a situation like that?
What about when you are in love with someone who is dying, whether it is from cancer or some other dreaded disease, you see them suffering and you wish that they could just go to be with God, but you cannot imagine a moment of your life without them. What words can you say to pray about that? When we come up against some great evil, against hopeless situations, against a God who is hidden in the suffering of this world, it is a great comfort when you can trust the Holy Spirit to pray for you, to ask God for those things that only God knows you need. Sometimes, it is the only armor, the only defense, the only weapon that you have against despair. Speaking in tongues is a wonderful spiritual comfort at times like this
God equips us all to pray in his Spirit, to speak in tongues, as part of our armor, but that doesn’t mean that we all have the GIFT of speaking in tongues though. Do you understand the difference? We all have Christian responsibilities, but we may not have gifts in those areas. For instance, there is a gift of evangelism. Some people love to share Christ’s love with others and are successfully leading people to faith while others aren’t doing that much; but everyone is called to defend their faith before others even if they don’t feel they have a “gift” for it. We are all called to pray as well, whether or not we feel like we are “gifted” pray-ers; however, some will pray much more often and find that their prayers often bear much fruit—that is the gift of prayer. If you try to speak in tongues this week and find yourself wanting to speak in tongues all the time, you may have a gift for it. Let me know.
This is the last week of the Armor of God series. Next week, we will send Jeffrey, our little mannequin here, back home. But please don’t forget what you have learned. This armor is something that we have all been given to defend ourselves and our church against the Devil and His schemes. But there are two roads that we can take when we use these things. A glory road and the road to the cross.
Speaking in tongues is a wonderful and normal part of the Christian life, but it is no better than any other gift; in fact, Paul says, “I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy.” What does he mean by that? He explains, “Anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him, he utters mysteries with his spirit. But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort.” Prophesy means to speak God’s truth to people. In one book I read, it said that someone with the gift of prophecy can “serve as the vehicle for a divine message regarding a concrete situation.” Remember that spiritual gifts are meant to strengthen the community above all else and not just to simply comfort ourselves. So, in other words, while speaking in tongues often doesn’t make sense to people (unless they can interpret), prophesy is a gift that make God’s will very clear to people and that is what’s most desired. Because speaking in tongues is such a different experience for most of us, those who have this gift can become prideful towards those who don’t have it. But the apostle Paul says that God’s glory is much more important than our glory.
We must follow the cross road and not the glory road. For instance, the breastplate of righteousness is meant to protect us from ourselves. We live a righteous life to keep us from sin, but we put on Christ’s righteousness to keep us from being self-righteous before God. We aren’t doing the right thing to make us look good, but to be a good witness to God’s glory. The sword of the spirit, the Word of God, the Bible, is a weapon to use against the Devil as he attacks us to accuse and condemn . . . it is not meant to use as a weapon against those whom you disagree with in the church or community. When we put on God’s armor and when we speak in tongues, we must remember that these are gifts from God for the upbuilding of the church, not for our own glory. They do not bring us glory, they are meant to bring God glory. God’s armor protects us on our road to the cross.
There is a story in the Bible, about a time when Jesus walked up a mountainside with three of his disciples and his clothes turned shining white, whiter than lighting, and God’s glory shone all around them. The disciples wanted to stay up there on that mountain, where they saw God’s glory, forever. But Jesus said that they had to leave, to go the path of suffering to Jerusalem where he would be crucified. By the time I see most of you again, we will have begun Lent, a time of repentance. We will focus on Jesus’ road to the cross and on how we are called to suffer with him in our lives by carrying our own crosses. If you can remember nothing else about the armor of God, about speaking in tongues, rember this: Putting on the full armor of God, praying in the spirit, these things do not keep you from suffering in your life or from experiencing persecution, they give you the protection and strength to follow God’s call through suffering so that you might carry the cross in your life. God is calling you into a world full of temptations and suffering, but when you put your trust in Him, in His protection and in His gifts—in your daily life and even in your prayer life—you are not walking alone. You are living under the power of God himself. The Armor of God is yours. It is a gift of God.
Showing posts with label Ephesians 6. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ephesians 6. Show all posts
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Sermon for February 12th (Shield of Faith)
This Sunday, the topic is the shield of faith. But what is that? You see, I come up with these sermon topics like two months ahead of time and I know that God is calling me to preach on the armor of God, but then I get to this week and I’m like—what was I thinking! I didn’t know what a shield of faith was exactly and I’m supposed to tell you. You trust me to do that. To read the Bible and to give that message to you. That’s my job. So let me take you where I went this week and I pray that God’s Holy Spirit works in your heart like it did through mine from what I found.
Ephesians 6, “Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” What is Paul trying to tell us by calling faith a shield? A Roman soldier didn’t just carry around a shield on his back to look pretty, he had to be able to use it. Soldiers were not simply trained on how to use their swords, but they were trained on how to use their shields as well.
Think of all the things you can use a shield to do: You could push an enemy back with it, block swords with it or deflect arrows. The outside of the shield was made of leather which a soldier could douse with water so that not only would it protect from arrows, it would put them out if they were burning. You see, an arrow lodged in your chest, well, that would hurt. But enemies would sometimes wrap an arrow with a rag dipped in oil and light that rag on fire so that you were not only cut if you were shot at but then your clothes might catch on fire! These battles weren’t jokes and neither is the battle with the devil. He’s not just out to hurt you, but to destroy you.
I’ve explained what shields can do, but what can a shield of faith do? For that answer, we need to look at scripture. Faith gives life according to Romans, “The righteous will live by faith.” Faith frees us according to Galatians, “Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.” Faith actively heals according to the gospel of Matthew, “Take heart daughter,” Jesus said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ Faith can also be used to heal others: “Then Jesus answered, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”
In Matthew chapter 17, the disciples were given authority to drive out demons, but they found one that they couldn’t drive out. Jesus says that they couldn’t do it, “Because you have so little faith” he says. Because according to scripture, “If you believe (if you have faith), you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.” The Devil attacks us with guilt, doubt, demonic oppression, sickness, disease, and the accusation of hell. But the shield of faith promises us protection from these deadly attacks.
But here’s the thing. Do we do all that stuff? Do we use our faith to do these things? I have to ask myself: do I ever USE my faith or just thank God I have it and leave it at that. What about you? Have you been carrying around a faith that might be “dead” as James calls it. A shield of faith that just hangs around your neck and never gets used. A faith that you hold onto like a binky, a pacifier, for comfort, but you never even think to take it out for a spin? We go off to work and say yeah, I’ve got faith, my shield of faith is lying on the floor at home by my bed. I got that when I was confirmed or baptized—I’m sure I’ll be protected. But is that what the Bible says about faith? James says, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has not deeds? Can such faith save him?” Faith MUST be living and active—it’s the definition of faith. To be used for protection, it needs to be practiced with and developed and used.
In 1st Corinthians, Paul says that there are some who say that they have faith, but that there is no resurrection of the dead. What!? He says, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” You’ve heard this before. Yeah, I’m a Christian. I go to church. But I don’t believe EVERYTHING in the Bible. Jesus might not be the ONLY way to eternal life. I don’t HAVE to pray. I don’t HAVE to read my Bible to be a Christian. Really? Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers!” Is your faith in your own faith or in your relationship with God?
Do you reflect your faith in your actions? Do you have faith in a God who hates sexual immorality, but continue looking at pornography or living with your girlfriend or boyfriend? Do you have faith in Jesus who DIED to forgive you, but still can’t forgive your friend, your spouse, or your enemy? Do you have faith in a God who gave you all that you have, but you throw in a five dollar bill every single week for the offering? Is your faith in Jesus Christ, or is your faith in what you’d prefer Jesus to look like?
It’s really easy to think of faith as a way of thinking, a way of thinking about things, a set of rules and doctrines, a common set of beliefs, but it’s not. It’s not really about thinking or about “feeling” something is right or not. It’s about a relationship. Faith isn’t a substance, it’s about trust. If you asked me why I love my children, I could tell you logically why: Sophia is so loving, smart and creative. Malachi has a terrific laugh and he is so kind and compassionate. Micah is a lovable little boy who is just the best behaved little baby ever. But, when Micah screams and cannot be consoled. When Malachi is thoughtless and whiny. When Sophia is selfish and rude, there is no logical reason to love them . . . but I still do because I’m their dad. This is a relationship that I cannot fully comprehend.
Faith means to put your trust in Jesus Christ and to have an ongoing relationship with him. There are some days when this may very logical: Well, if God really did create heaven, earth and me, then I should love him . . . he deserves it. Or, Jesus died for me, that was pretty nice, I will love him back. Or, I would have never survived that car wreck had it not been for the grace of God. Those kind of statements involve our thoughts, our mind and our reason. That’s great! But there are other times when faith doesn’t always make sense. When despite all the suffering you’re going through, you just know that God still loves you or when you don’t have time to go to church, but if you don’t, you know the rest of your week just won’t be right. Ephesians says that faith is a gift from God. Just like my kids are a gift from God. If I don’t continue developing my relationship with them, I’d still be their dad, but I’d be useless to them. You may have also been given faith, as a gift, but are you a Christian in name only?
Psalm 33 says, “We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.” This shield of faith is about a relationship, putting your trust in God. Scripture says that faith can grow just like any relationship. In fact, if it’s not growing—it’s dying. From what I have read, there are two specific ways that you can better develop your shield of faith: through serving and through suffering.
1st Timothy 3:13, “Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.” This statement is referring to someone called a “deacon” which simply means “one who serves”. A translation of this for our church might mean someone who serves on the council, or on a ministry team, or the altar guild, or our secretary, or the ministry coordinator or ushers or readers. I believe that the pastor of a church should not do everything that needs to be done for many reasons. It’d be way to much work for one person first of all and I don’t have all the gifts that are needed, but most interestingly, because it would be greedy.
When you serve, you are given greater assurance of your faith in Christ Jesus! When you step out of your box and make a difference in the lives of others, you find that God gives you the strength that you need to do it. It not only gives your life meaning, but it brings you into a deeper relationship with God. And the more you serve, the stronger your faith can become. There’s an old saying that says that adults don’t create children, children create adults. Well, faithful people don’t become servants of the Lord, when you begin serving on behalf of God, you often find yourself becoming more and more faithful to Him. On your card this week, maybe you’ll want to commit to serve.
Finally, suffering and persecution also encourages faith. We read this in 2nd Thessalonians, “your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.” At a Natural Church Development Summit in South Africa, a man named Eddie Leo, shared about a spiritual revival in Indonesia. One church had added 1,600 believers in the last six months! Other churches wanted to know what they could do to experience a similar revival. Eddie said, “You want revival? Then pray for persecution.”
In the book of James we read, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” When you face suffering, you are forced to put your hope and your trust in something, and when you place it in Jesus Christ, you find your shield of faith strengthening. You start praying more, longer and more passionately because God is the only one who can understand what you’re going through. You find yourself reading your Bible because, as the disciples once said, “Lord, where else can we go? You alone have the words of eternal life!” Suffering will come, you don’t have to seek it. But if you are suffering right now, instead of trusting money, or drugs or even another person for hope, imagine how your faith might grow by turning to God right now when the times are the toughest.
Pastor Francis Chan tells a story of a group of Korean missionaries to Afghanistan who were arrested and detained in prison by the Taliban for their gospel ministry. Chan had dinner with one of the missionaries who told him about the conditions of the prison. As the story goes, one woman managed to sneak a Bible into the cell and they tore it into as many sections as there were people, so that they could have the Scriptures to read whenever they had the opportunity. It became apparent that some of them were going to be put to death and the senior pastor of the group announced that he would die first. Another man told him that he could not die first, because he was their shepherd, and that the second man must die first as he was an elder. They argued back and forth, with the senior pastor eventually winning. It was however the elder who died first and it was the senior pastor with whom Francis Chan spoke.
The senior pastor told Chan something that I will never forget. He said that since the incident members of that group kept coming to him privately and saying, “Don’t’ you wish you were back there! In prison!” They wished they could go back to the prison cell, with the looming threat of death and torture ever upon them, because the fellowship with Jesus brought them so much joy. Faith felt real! It was alive! The group unanimously agreed that they had never been so close to Christ as they were in that cell, completely dependent on Him as to whether or not they carried on in the flesh or went immediately Home to Heaven.
I believe that most all of you have faith in Jesus Christ or else you wouldn’t be here. But if your faith isn’t growing it’s dying. It’s a relationship that needs constant care. Maybe you are new to this whole Christian thing or don’t think you’ve ever had faith and never had a relationship with Jesus. Maybe you just feel guilty for your lack of faith, for your lack of interest and your lack of passion. . . but hear this: “God’s love for you does not depend on your effort or desire, but on God’s mercy.” He has imprisoned us all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all. God is in the business of bringing the dead to life, dead bones, dead people or even a dead faith. So hear this: in the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. God continues to desire to have a relationship with you. Put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness and the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. And in addition to all this, take hold of the shield of faith—it’s yours again today because it is a gift of God. Amen.
Ephesians 6, “Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” What is Paul trying to tell us by calling faith a shield? A Roman soldier didn’t just carry around a shield on his back to look pretty, he had to be able to use it. Soldiers were not simply trained on how to use their swords, but they were trained on how to use their shields as well.
Think of all the things you can use a shield to do: You could push an enemy back with it, block swords with it or deflect arrows. The outside of the shield was made of leather which a soldier could douse with water so that not only would it protect from arrows, it would put them out if they were burning. You see, an arrow lodged in your chest, well, that would hurt. But enemies would sometimes wrap an arrow with a rag dipped in oil and light that rag on fire so that you were not only cut if you were shot at but then your clothes might catch on fire! These battles weren’t jokes and neither is the battle with the devil. He’s not just out to hurt you, but to destroy you.
I’ve explained what shields can do, but what can a shield of faith do? For that answer, we need to look at scripture. Faith gives life according to Romans, “The righteous will live by faith.” Faith frees us according to Galatians, “Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.” Faith actively heals according to the gospel of Matthew, “Take heart daughter,” Jesus said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ Faith can also be used to heal others: “Then Jesus answered, ‘Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”
In Matthew chapter 17, the disciples were given authority to drive out demons, but they found one that they couldn’t drive out. Jesus says that they couldn’t do it, “Because you have so little faith” he says. Because according to scripture, “If you believe (if you have faith), you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.” The Devil attacks us with guilt, doubt, demonic oppression, sickness, disease, and the accusation of hell. But the shield of faith promises us protection from these deadly attacks.
But here’s the thing. Do we do all that stuff? Do we use our faith to do these things? I have to ask myself: do I ever USE my faith or just thank God I have it and leave it at that. What about you? Have you been carrying around a faith that might be “dead” as James calls it. A shield of faith that just hangs around your neck and never gets used. A faith that you hold onto like a binky, a pacifier, for comfort, but you never even think to take it out for a spin? We go off to work and say yeah, I’ve got faith, my shield of faith is lying on the floor at home by my bed. I got that when I was confirmed or baptized—I’m sure I’ll be protected. But is that what the Bible says about faith? James says, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has not deeds? Can such faith save him?” Faith MUST be living and active—it’s the definition of faith. To be used for protection, it needs to be practiced with and developed and used.
In 1st Corinthians, Paul says that there are some who say that they have faith, but that there is no resurrection of the dead. What!? He says, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” You’ve heard this before. Yeah, I’m a Christian. I go to church. But I don’t believe EVERYTHING in the Bible. Jesus might not be the ONLY way to eternal life. I don’t HAVE to pray. I don’t HAVE to read my Bible to be a Christian. Really? Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers!” Is your faith in your own faith or in your relationship with God?
Do you reflect your faith in your actions? Do you have faith in a God who hates sexual immorality, but continue looking at pornography or living with your girlfriend or boyfriend? Do you have faith in Jesus who DIED to forgive you, but still can’t forgive your friend, your spouse, or your enemy? Do you have faith in a God who gave you all that you have, but you throw in a five dollar bill every single week for the offering? Is your faith in Jesus Christ, or is your faith in what you’d prefer Jesus to look like?
It’s really easy to think of faith as a way of thinking, a way of thinking about things, a set of rules and doctrines, a common set of beliefs, but it’s not. It’s not really about thinking or about “feeling” something is right or not. It’s about a relationship. Faith isn’t a substance, it’s about trust. If you asked me why I love my children, I could tell you logically why: Sophia is so loving, smart and creative. Malachi has a terrific laugh and he is so kind and compassionate. Micah is a lovable little boy who is just the best behaved little baby ever. But, when Micah screams and cannot be consoled. When Malachi is thoughtless and whiny. When Sophia is selfish and rude, there is no logical reason to love them . . . but I still do because I’m their dad. This is a relationship that I cannot fully comprehend.
Faith means to put your trust in Jesus Christ and to have an ongoing relationship with him. There are some days when this may very logical: Well, if God really did create heaven, earth and me, then I should love him . . . he deserves it. Or, Jesus died for me, that was pretty nice, I will love him back. Or, I would have never survived that car wreck had it not been for the grace of God. Those kind of statements involve our thoughts, our mind and our reason. That’s great! But there are other times when faith doesn’t always make sense. When despite all the suffering you’re going through, you just know that God still loves you or when you don’t have time to go to church, but if you don’t, you know the rest of your week just won’t be right. Ephesians says that faith is a gift from God. Just like my kids are a gift from God. If I don’t continue developing my relationship with them, I’d still be their dad, but I’d be useless to them. You may have also been given faith, as a gift, but are you a Christian in name only?
Psalm 33 says, “We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.” This shield of faith is about a relationship, putting your trust in God. Scripture says that faith can grow just like any relationship. In fact, if it’s not growing—it’s dying. From what I have read, there are two specific ways that you can better develop your shield of faith: through serving and through suffering.
1st Timothy 3:13, “Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.” This statement is referring to someone called a “deacon” which simply means “one who serves”. A translation of this for our church might mean someone who serves on the council, or on a ministry team, or the altar guild, or our secretary, or the ministry coordinator or ushers or readers. I believe that the pastor of a church should not do everything that needs to be done for many reasons. It’d be way to much work for one person first of all and I don’t have all the gifts that are needed, but most interestingly, because it would be greedy.
When you serve, you are given greater assurance of your faith in Christ Jesus! When you step out of your box and make a difference in the lives of others, you find that God gives you the strength that you need to do it. It not only gives your life meaning, but it brings you into a deeper relationship with God. And the more you serve, the stronger your faith can become. There’s an old saying that says that adults don’t create children, children create adults. Well, faithful people don’t become servants of the Lord, when you begin serving on behalf of God, you often find yourself becoming more and more faithful to Him. On your card this week, maybe you’ll want to commit to serve.
Finally, suffering and persecution also encourages faith. We read this in 2nd Thessalonians, “your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.” At a Natural Church Development Summit in South Africa, a man named Eddie Leo, shared about a spiritual revival in Indonesia. One church had added 1,600 believers in the last six months! Other churches wanted to know what they could do to experience a similar revival. Eddie said, “You want revival? Then pray for persecution.”
In the book of James we read, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” When you face suffering, you are forced to put your hope and your trust in something, and when you place it in Jesus Christ, you find your shield of faith strengthening. You start praying more, longer and more passionately because God is the only one who can understand what you’re going through. You find yourself reading your Bible because, as the disciples once said, “Lord, where else can we go? You alone have the words of eternal life!” Suffering will come, you don’t have to seek it. But if you are suffering right now, instead of trusting money, or drugs or even another person for hope, imagine how your faith might grow by turning to God right now when the times are the toughest.
Pastor Francis Chan tells a story of a group of Korean missionaries to Afghanistan who were arrested and detained in prison by the Taliban for their gospel ministry. Chan had dinner with one of the missionaries who told him about the conditions of the prison. As the story goes, one woman managed to sneak a Bible into the cell and they tore it into as many sections as there were people, so that they could have the Scriptures to read whenever they had the opportunity. It became apparent that some of them were going to be put to death and the senior pastor of the group announced that he would die first. Another man told him that he could not die first, because he was their shepherd, and that the second man must die first as he was an elder. They argued back and forth, with the senior pastor eventually winning. It was however the elder who died first and it was the senior pastor with whom Francis Chan spoke.
The senior pastor told Chan something that I will never forget. He said that since the incident members of that group kept coming to him privately and saying, “Don’t’ you wish you were back there! In prison!” They wished they could go back to the prison cell, with the looming threat of death and torture ever upon them, because the fellowship with Jesus brought them so much joy. Faith felt real! It was alive! The group unanimously agreed that they had never been so close to Christ as they were in that cell, completely dependent on Him as to whether or not they carried on in the flesh or went immediately Home to Heaven.
I believe that most all of you have faith in Jesus Christ or else you wouldn’t be here. But if your faith isn’t growing it’s dying. It’s a relationship that needs constant care. Maybe you are new to this whole Christian thing or don’t think you’ve ever had faith and never had a relationship with Jesus. Maybe you just feel guilty for your lack of faith, for your lack of interest and your lack of passion. . . but hear this: “God’s love for you does not depend on your effort or desire, but on God’s mercy.” He has imprisoned us all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all. God is in the business of bringing the dead to life, dead bones, dead people or even a dead faith. So hear this: in the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. God continues to desire to have a relationship with you. Put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness and the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. And in addition to all this, take hold of the shield of faith—it’s yours again today because it is a gift of God. Amen.
Sermon for February 6th (Sandals of Readiness)
Get ready. Get set. Go! What do those words make you think of? It makes me think of racing. Lacing up my shoes to run the mile for track or preparing for football practice. It seemed like, during high school, I was always having to get ready for something. My freshman year of high school, I came back from the summer vacation at my Grandma and Grandpa’s in Kansas a couple of weeks early in order to participate in two-a-days for football. Since my dad was still working at the Rennaisance Faire in Chicago until school started, I stayed for those last two weeks of summer at my Aunt Deb’s house downstairs in her basement. I’d wake up for the first practice of the day, come home and walk beans in the early afternoon and then go back for the second football practice in the late afternoon. You know how some little events in life make a big impact even though they are really not that big of a deal in the scheme of things? Well, that summer I experienced one of those.
On morning, my cousin Jeremy was at home (he must have been back from college) and I knew that he had been up late the night before. It was really early, about 4 o’clock, when I was awakened by my Uncle Gary calling down the stairs, “I’m going!” Jeremy got up out of bed, put on his clothes and shoes and left in a matter of about 2 minutes. I asked my Aunt later about it and she explained that Jeremy just knew that, no matter what time he came in the night before, if my uncle needed help in the fields he’d call down once and Jeremy had better be ready to leave or else he’d be left behind. He wouldn’t be told about it the night before. He just had to be ready.
The apostle Peter writes this in a letter, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” When I read that statement, I think about my cousin Jeremy who got up at a moment’s notice to go and do his work on the farm. When Jesus Christ comes again and calls you to eternity, will you be ready to go? What if he just asks you to confess your faith in Him before another person. Are you ready to do that? What if another person calls and asks you what you believe? Are you ready today to give an answer for the hope that you have? And if you are not prepared, does it really matter?
I went in to talk with a professor at seminary because I was really bothered by something. I was so excited about telling people about Jesus, but I felt like everyone I knew was already a Christian. All my circle of friends were seminarians. I worked grounds crew with them. I ate with them. I went to the park and played with them (well, their kids played and I talked with them). I had class with them. But I never had the opportunity to share my faith with someone who wasn’t a Christian and that bothered me. I wondered if I should just go to the local mall and start preaching. I knew that it would get some people upset, but who knew if it might make a difference, you know? So, at this meeting, I brought up my dilemma. As usual, he told me a story.
He liked to walk to seminary from his house a mile or two away. He did this, he said, because he always seemed to run into people and have conversations he never expected. One day, he was walking along and passed by a woman. Suddenly, just as she was walking by him, she started falling over and fell into him. He grabbed hold of her, held her up, and started realizing she was having a heart attack. And as she died, right there in his arms, he preached to her the gospel of Jesus Christ. He gave her the good news of salvation. He told her how much Jesus loved her, how faith in his forgiveness was all she needed to think about right then, right there with her breathing her last breath. His point? Be ready. You don’t always need to go out and find someone to preach to. When God is ready, he’ll often give you the opportunity.
Please sit back and listen to the words of this song, (Play the CD through the first chorus) “So maybe this time, I’ll speak the words of life, with your fire in my eyes. But that old familiar fear, is tearing at my words, what am I so afraid of. Cause here I go again. Talking about the rain. And mulling over things that won’t live past today. And as I dance around the truth, time is not his friend, this may be the last chance to tell him that you LOVE him, but here I go again.” What are YOU so afraid of?
I’m afraid that I’m going to be seen as one of those freaky Christians I see on TV, who don’t seem to be able to talk about anything but when they were saved and whether you are or not. I’m afraid that I’ve already known a person almost my whole life and never said anything before, what are they going to think of me? What if something in our relationship changes because of what I say? What’s worse, what if I start and really don’t know what to say? What if I don’t have answers for their questions? So, here I go again, talking about the rain, and mulling over things that won’t live past today . . . like who will win the Super Bowl. Or how about the weather? Cold, isn’t it. And so I dance around ever having to talk about Jesus or what he means to me . . . or what he might mean to them.
Remember, we are studying the armor of God again this week. Ephesians chapter 6, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Some translations say sandals, or battle shoes, but, really, it just says that your need to be ready to go. For me, that means putting on my shoes before I head out the door.
When you are lying in bed on a Sunday morning and the alarm goes off, but you stay in bed . . . well, the Devil only needs to work for about one hour on that morning to destroy the rest of your week and keep you from hearing God’s Word. The Devil blinds us to the opportunities in our lives to tell others about Jesus. We know that we are not saved by our works and yet if we know someone that “acts” nicely we assume that they must go to church and so we never bring it up . . . what a clever scheme! We can never find time to read our Bibles and so we leave it on the bookshelf, but every free moment we’ve got, we read a little bit on ESPN about how our favorite team is doing. The Devil is a sneaky guy isn’t he?
If you are tried Sunday mornings, fit your feet with readiness . . . go to sleep earlier on Saturday and be prepared Sunday morning. If you believe that EVERYONE you know is already a Christian, prove it and invite them to come on Sunday morning. Come prepared with the worship times, a visitor’s brochure and maybe even a time to pick them up on Sunday morning. Don’t have time to read God’s Word? Take the Bible off the bookshelf and put it by the computer . . . see what might happen with all your free time. Prepare for the opportunity and make the best use of the time you are blessed with.
Put on your armor. Being unprepared doesn’t seem like a big deal does it, but the devil is counting on you not speaking up, not showing up and not preparing yourself. In the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” George Bailey experiences all kind of hardships in his life. He helps other people, but it always turns out badly for him. When life finally gets the best of him, he attempts to commit suicide because he believes he would be worth more dead than alive. Clarence, the angel, stops George and shows him what the world would be like without him.
A boy would have died because George hadn’t been there to catch a mistake by a pharmacist. George’s brother, Harry, would have died without George to save him when he was just a kid and, therefore, Harry would have never become a fighter pilot and save the lives of hundreds of other soldiers. George’s wife would have never been married and would have lived a long and lonely life. What would this world look like if Christians always stayed silent, stayed in bed and hoped someone else would read the Bible for them? Where has the devil gained a foothold in this world and in your life because you have lived unprepared to speak the gospel of peace.
Be ready, Jesus said. But what should we say? Jesus told his disciples, “Make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.”
When I was in North Dakota at a synod convention, the director of Evangelism for the ELCA told us a story. He was leaving his house one day when he saw his neighbor topple over a trash can full of pop cans. He wanted to just get going, but he decided to help her instead . . . she had seen him anyway and he didn’t want her to think badly of him. After they’d picked everything up, she thanked him and he was about to leave. But, he’d been teaching a class about how to connect faith to actions and, though he was embarrassed to say it, he quickly responded in a mumble, “Your welcome. I’m a Christian and that’s what God calls me to do.” Then he left.
A few weeks later, this speaker’s wife, a nurse, came in and told him an amazing story. While she was treating a patient, they got to talking and the patient asked her where she went to church. The patient explained that his family was having some trouble at home. His wife had come home a few weeks back after having a conversation with a man who had helped her pick up some cans. The woman had returned to her house and talked for about an hour with her husband about what being a Christian was. They were interested in seeing if having faith in their lives might help their struggles. Can you say wow! You don’t need all the answers. Just put your shoes on and get ready to follow the Holy Spirit.
Every single week here at church, we could just get together and talk about the rain and mull over things that won’t last past today. But, I pray that each week, I am prepared to deliver the words of life to you with God’s fire in my eyes, despite my fear that you won’t like what I must say, despite my fear that this message will fall on deaf ears. Why? Because it’s the best defense I know against the devil in your life and in mine. Get ready. Get set. And through the power of the Holy Spirit maybe this time, maybe this week, you will GO and speak the words of life. Amen.
On morning, my cousin Jeremy was at home (he must have been back from college) and I knew that he had been up late the night before. It was really early, about 4 o’clock, when I was awakened by my Uncle Gary calling down the stairs, “I’m going!” Jeremy got up out of bed, put on his clothes and shoes and left in a matter of about 2 minutes. I asked my Aunt later about it and she explained that Jeremy just knew that, no matter what time he came in the night before, if my uncle needed help in the fields he’d call down once and Jeremy had better be ready to leave or else he’d be left behind. He wouldn’t be told about it the night before. He just had to be ready.
The apostle Peter writes this in a letter, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” When I read that statement, I think about my cousin Jeremy who got up at a moment’s notice to go and do his work on the farm. When Jesus Christ comes again and calls you to eternity, will you be ready to go? What if he just asks you to confess your faith in Him before another person. Are you ready to do that? What if another person calls and asks you what you believe? Are you ready today to give an answer for the hope that you have? And if you are not prepared, does it really matter?
I went in to talk with a professor at seminary because I was really bothered by something. I was so excited about telling people about Jesus, but I felt like everyone I knew was already a Christian. All my circle of friends were seminarians. I worked grounds crew with them. I ate with them. I went to the park and played with them (well, their kids played and I talked with them). I had class with them. But I never had the opportunity to share my faith with someone who wasn’t a Christian and that bothered me. I wondered if I should just go to the local mall and start preaching. I knew that it would get some people upset, but who knew if it might make a difference, you know? So, at this meeting, I brought up my dilemma. As usual, he told me a story.
He liked to walk to seminary from his house a mile or two away. He did this, he said, because he always seemed to run into people and have conversations he never expected. One day, he was walking along and passed by a woman. Suddenly, just as she was walking by him, she started falling over and fell into him. He grabbed hold of her, held her up, and started realizing she was having a heart attack. And as she died, right there in his arms, he preached to her the gospel of Jesus Christ. He gave her the good news of salvation. He told her how much Jesus loved her, how faith in his forgiveness was all she needed to think about right then, right there with her breathing her last breath. His point? Be ready. You don’t always need to go out and find someone to preach to. When God is ready, he’ll often give you the opportunity.
Please sit back and listen to the words of this song, (Play the CD through the first chorus) “So maybe this time, I’ll speak the words of life, with your fire in my eyes. But that old familiar fear, is tearing at my words, what am I so afraid of. Cause here I go again. Talking about the rain. And mulling over things that won’t live past today. And as I dance around the truth, time is not his friend, this may be the last chance to tell him that you LOVE him, but here I go again.” What are YOU so afraid of?
I’m afraid that I’m going to be seen as one of those freaky Christians I see on TV, who don’t seem to be able to talk about anything but when they were saved and whether you are or not. I’m afraid that I’ve already known a person almost my whole life and never said anything before, what are they going to think of me? What if something in our relationship changes because of what I say? What’s worse, what if I start and really don’t know what to say? What if I don’t have answers for their questions? So, here I go again, talking about the rain, and mulling over things that won’t live past today . . . like who will win the Super Bowl. Or how about the weather? Cold, isn’t it. And so I dance around ever having to talk about Jesus or what he means to me . . . or what he might mean to them.
Remember, we are studying the armor of God again this week. Ephesians chapter 6, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.” Some translations say sandals, or battle shoes, but, really, it just says that your need to be ready to go. For me, that means putting on my shoes before I head out the door.
When you are lying in bed on a Sunday morning and the alarm goes off, but you stay in bed . . . well, the Devil only needs to work for about one hour on that morning to destroy the rest of your week and keep you from hearing God’s Word. The Devil blinds us to the opportunities in our lives to tell others about Jesus. We know that we are not saved by our works and yet if we know someone that “acts” nicely we assume that they must go to church and so we never bring it up . . . what a clever scheme! We can never find time to read our Bibles and so we leave it on the bookshelf, but every free moment we’ve got, we read a little bit on ESPN about how our favorite team is doing. The Devil is a sneaky guy isn’t he?
If you are tried Sunday mornings, fit your feet with readiness . . . go to sleep earlier on Saturday and be prepared Sunday morning. If you believe that EVERYONE you know is already a Christian, prove it and invite them to come on Sunday morning. Come prepared with the worship times, a visitor’s brochure and maybe even a time to pick them up on Sunday morning. Don’t have time to read God’s Word? Take the Bible off the bookshelf and put it by the computer . . . see what might happen with all your free time. Prepare for the opportunity and make the best use of the time you are blessed with.
Put on your armor. Being unprepared doesn’t seem like a big deal does it, but the devil is counting on you not speaking up, not showing up and not preparing yourself. In the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” George Bailey experiences all kind of hardships in his life. He helps other people, but it always turns out badly for him. When life finally gets the best of him, he attempts to commit suicide because he believes he would be worth more dead than alive. Clarence, the angel, stops George and shows him what the world would be like without him.
A boy would have died because George hadn’t been there to catch a mistake by a pharmacist. George’s brother, Harry, would have died without George to save him when he was just a kid and, therefore, Harry would have never become a fighter pilot and save the lives of hundreds of other soldiers. George’s wife would have never been married and would have lived a long and lonely life. What would this world look like if Christians always stayed silent, stayed in bed and hoped someone else would read the Bible for them? Where has the devil gained a foothold in this world and in your life because you have lived unprepared to speak the gospel of peace.
Be ready, Jesus said. But what should we say? Jesus told his disciples, “Make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.”
When I was in North Dakota at a synod convention, the director of Evangelism for the ELCA told us a story. He was leaving his house one day when he saw his neighbor topple over a trash can full of pop cans. He wanted to just get going, but he decided to help her instead . . . she had seen him anyway and he didn’t want her to think badly of him. After they’d picked everything up, she thanked him and he was about to leave. But, he’d been teaching a class about how to connect faith to actions and, though he was embarrassed to say it, he quickly responded in a mumble, “Your welcome. I’m a Christian and that’s what God calls me to do.” Then he left.
A few weeks later, this speaker’s wife, a nurse, came in and told him an amazing story. While she was treating a patient, they got to talking and the patient asked her where she went to church. The patient explained that his family was having some trouble at home. His wife had come home a few weeks back after having a conversation with a man who had helped her pick up some cans. The woman had returned to her house and talked for about an hour with her husband about what being a Christian was. They were interested in seeing if having faith in their lives might help their struggles. Can you say wow! You don’t need all the answers. Just put your shoes on and get ready to follow the Holy Spirit.
Every single week here at church, we could just get together and talk about the rain and mull over things that won’t last past today. But, I pray that each week, I am prepared to deliver the words of life to you with God’s fire in my eyes, despite my fear that you won’t like what I must say, despite my fear that this message will fall on deaf ears. Why? Because it’s the best defense I know against the devil in your life and in mine. Get ready. Get set. And through the power of the Holy Spirit maybe this time, maybe this week, you will GO and speak the words of life. Amen.
January 30th (Breastplate of Righteousness)
“Put on the full armor 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place . . . .” A breastplate was a shirt of metal bands held together by leather to protect the vital organs, most notably, the heart. Without the breastplate, any attack not batted away by a shield or parried by a sword would mean a deadly blow in most cases. You can have your belt on, your helmet on, your shield, your sword and your shoes, but that breastplate often means the difference between survival and death.
John 3, starting at verse 7, “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as He [that is Jesus Christ] is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” What does it mean to put on the breastplate of righteousness? It means to do what is right. To walk as Jesus walked. To commit to living your life in accordance with His truth—a life of upright behavior— a life of righteousness.
Does that mean following the commandments? Yes. All of them? Yes. All of them. To love your neighbor as yourself? Yes. Even if it hurts? Yes. Even if they hurt me? Yes, especially then. Living a life in accordance with the will of God is to live a righteous life. Paul calls a righteous life a breastplate of righteousness to show how living your life with integrity and purity guards your heart from the devil’s deadly attacks.
The Devil loves to take down a good Christian witness and this cannot be done easily unless that Christian has taken off their breastplate of righteousness by hiding naked in the darkness of sin. There have been many wonderful Christian pastors and leaders who have lost their jobs, their credibility and their pride not because they weren’t great at what they did, but because they stopped living a righteous life and thought they could battle temptation unprotected. Money laundering schemes done out of greed and jealousy. Affairs brought on by poor boundaries and temptation. Arrogant leaders who drive others away so they can feel important and keep control. These Christians often live very righteous lives in many ways, but the devil steals the show when they let their guard down.
You must protect yourself from the Devils’ schemes. When you follow God’s commands, when you walk according to God’s laws, the Devil cannot find a chink in your armor. That’s what putting on the breastplate of righteousness means for your life. This means that you will have to turn off the TV, pick up your Bible and start following the guidelines set forth in that book. This means that you will need to learn to pray and ask for God’s guidance when you feel tempted. This means that you’ll need to recommit yourself to hearing God’s Word at church and integrating the messages into your daily life. While the breastplate of righteousness is an amazing defense against the devil, it involves much hard work and dedication to Jesus Christ. The alternative is to walk across the battlefield exposed to danger at every turn.
But there is more to the breastplate of righteousness than simply a life lived according to God’s commands. Isaiah 64:6 points out our dilemma, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” All our righteous acts? Yes. All of them. Ezekiel 33 puts it even more clearly, “If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and does evil, none of the righteous things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done.” Paul writes in Galatians, “If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
There is no doubt that the breastplate of righteousness is put on by living uprightly and standing as a child in the light of God. But when you are standing in the light of God you see the truth: you cannot live a perfect life. By yourself, you cannot defeat the Devil. You should do everything in your power to live a life worthy of Jesus Christ, but the truth is that your righteousness, your best works, your highest virtues look like filthy rags in the eyes of God. All have and all will fall short of the glory of God except for Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In fact, some of our greatest sins are caused by what we think are our greatest assets. And so the hardworking Christian CEO refuses to tithe because he thinks his church doesn’t “deserve” his hard earned money. The big shot pastor doesn’t have time to visit the sick because he’s working on his new book deal. I heard of a terrific farmer once who skipped church so he could be the first one in town who got the harvest in. We begin trusting ourselves, our work and our righteousness and lose sight of God.
And so when we Christians stand up here in church singing away, listening to the Bible readings, quiet and very holy looking, the devil enters our hearts and says, “I know what you did last summer. You aren’t really as good looking on the inside as you pretend to be on the outside. If only they knew, you’d be ashamed.” And when a leader stands up here the devil attacks, “Who are you to act so high and mighty? You are no better than anyone else! If only people knew you like I do.” While a righteous life can protect you and I from temptation and much harm in this world, it cannot protect us from the horrible truth—we are still sinners who deserve nothing but punishment.
Hear now how the apostle Paul deals with this dilemma: (Philippians 3:7) “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”
The breastplate of righteousness is more than an upright life, it is knowing the difference between an upright life and a life lived by faith alone. “The righteous will live by faith.” Paul writes in Romans. “Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.” We must put on more than our good works, we must put Jesus Christ in order to protect ourselves from the devil’s schemes. (Romans 13) “Let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Clothing yourself with Jesus and his righteousness, trusting in His work on the cross rather than your own work in this world, doesn’t take away the need to live a righteous life, it gives you the strength to do just that. “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13)
You are called to live your life according to all the commandments of God and walking in the light of Jesus Christ in order to protect yourself from the devil’s schemes. You are also called to trust not in what you can do, but in Christ who works all in all. Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17) He offers you his love and protection not as something that you earned, but as a free gift. When you have done everything that you are called to do, humbly clothe yourself with Jesus Christ and trust in His protection alone. Every morning. Every day.
None of us can stand against the devil’s schemes and temptations on our own. Our most righteous acts are filthy rags. But you may fight the battle against the devil’s schemes wrapped in the righteousness of God, with the full armor of God. This next week, don’t walk into your day unprotected. Stand firm, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist and the breastplate of righteousness in place. . . .” Amen.
John 3, starting at verse 7, “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as He [that is Jesus Christ] is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” What does it mean to put on the breastplate of righteousness? It means to do what is right. To walk as Jesus walked. To commit to living your life in accordance with His truth—a life of upright behavior— a life of righteousness.
Does that mean following the commandments? Yes. All of them? Yes. All of them. To love your neighbor as yourself? Yes. Even if it hurts? Yes. Even if they hurt me? Yes, especially then. Living a life in accordance with the will of God is to live a righteous life. Paul calls a righteous life a breastplate of righteousness to show how living your life with integrity and purity guards your heart from the devil’s deadly attacks.
The Devil loves to take down a good Christian witness and this cannot be done easily unless that Christian has taken off their breastplate of righteousness by hiding naked in the darkness of sin. There have been many wonderful Christian pastors and leaders who have lost their jobs, their credibility and their pride not because they weren’t great at what they did, but because they stopped living a righteous life and thought they could battle temptation unprotected. Money laundering schemes done out of greed and jealousy. Affairs brought on by poor boundaries and temptation. Arrogant leaders who drive others away so they can feel important and keep control. These Christians often live very righteous lives in many ways, but the devil steals the show when they let their guard down.
You must protect yourself from the Devils’ schemes. When you follow God’s commands, when you walk according to God’s laws, the Devil cannot find a chink in your armor. That’s what putting on the breastplate of righteousness means for your life. This means that you will have to turn off the TV, pick up your Bible and start following the guidelines set forth in that book. This means that you will need to learn to pray and ask for God’s guidance when you feel tempted. This means that you’ll need to recommit yourself to hearing God’s Word at church and integrating the messages into your daily life. While the breastplate of righteousness is an amazing defense against the devil, it involves much hard work and dedication to Jesus Christ. The alternative is to walk across the battlefield exposed to danger at every turn.
But there is more to the breastplate of righteousness than simply a life lived according to God’s commands. Isaiah 64:6 points out our dilemma, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” All our righteous acts? Yes. All of them. Ezekiel 33 puts it even more clearly, “If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and does evil, none of the righteous things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done.” Paul writes in Galatians, “If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
There is no doubt that the breastplate of righteousness is put on by living uprightly and standing as a child in the light of God. But when you are standing in the light of God you see the truth: you cannot live a perfect life. By yourself, you cannot defeat the Devil. You should do everything in your power to live a life worthy of Jesus Christ, but the truth is that your righteousness, your best works, your highest virtues look like filthy rags in the eyes of God. All have and all will fall short of the glory of God except for Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In fact, some of our greatest sins are caused by what we think are our greatest assets. And so the hardworking Christian CEO refuses to tithe because he thinks his church doesn’t “deserve” his hard earned money. The big shot pastor doesn’t have time to visit the sick because he’s working on his new book deal. I heard of a terrific farmer once who skipped church so he could be the first one in town who got the harvest in. We begin trusting ourselves, our work and our righteousness and lose sight of God.
And so when we Christians stand up here in church singing away, listening to the Bible readings, quiet and very holy looking, the devil enters our hearts and says, “I know what you did last summer. You aren’t really as good looking on the inside as you pretend to be on the outside. If only they knew, you’d be ashamed.” And when a leader stands up here the devil attacks, “Who are you to act so high and mighty? You are no better than anyone else! If only people knew you like I do.” While a righteous life can protect you and I from temptation and much harm in this world, it cannot protect us from the horrible truth—we are still sinners who deserve nothing but punishment.
Hear now how the apostle Paul deals with this dilemma: (Philippians 3:7) “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”
The breastplate of righteousness is more than an upright life, it is knowing the difference between an upright life and a life lived by faith alone. “The righteous will live by faith.” Paul writes in Romans. “Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.” We must put on more than our good works, we must put Jesus Christ in order to protect ourselves from the devil’s schemes. (Romans 13) “Let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.” Clothing yourself with Jesus and his righteousness, trusting in His work on the cross rather than your own work in this world, doesn’t take away the need to live a righteous life, it gives you the strength to do just that. “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13)
You are called to live your life according to all the commandments of God and walking in the light of Jesus Christ in order to protect yourself from the devil’s schemes. You are also called to trust not in what you can do, but in Christ who works all in all. Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17) He offers you his love and protection not as something that you earned, but as a free gift. When you have done everything that you are called to do, humbly clothe yourself with Jesus Christ and trust in His protection alone. Every morning. Every day.
None of us can stand against the devil’s schemes and temptations on our own. Our most righteous acts are filthy rags. But you may fight the battle against the devil’s schemes wrapped in the righteousness of God, with the full armor of God. This next week, don’t walk into your day unprotected. Stand firm, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist and the breastplate of righteousness in place. . . .” Amen.
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