Friday, February 20, 2009

Are Your Children Putting On the Whole Armor Of God Daily? Part 2-Righteousness




Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; ...
(Ephesians 6:13-14)


Before I continue on in this series, I would like to take a moment to consider the Whole Armor Of God and what it is about. I feel the need to explain a little more about this: When I was saved.(see side bar.. "Not By Might Nor By Power. But By MY SPIRIT Says the LORD" ) God at that moment equipped me with His Armor, by giving me salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is TRUTH (John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.)

Jesus
covers us with His RIGHTEOUSNESS (Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith..)

Jesus
is the GOSPEL OF PEACE (Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ..)

Jesus gives us saving FAITH (For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9)

Jesus
is our SALVATION (But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel...(2 Thess. 2:14..) "In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God." (Psalms 62:7)

Jesus
is THE WORD OF GOD (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14)

Jesus enables us to
PRAY (Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

In Ephesians 6 God tells us to take up the armor of God. Years ago we began to do this in obedience to His Word and now I understand better why we should. Taking up the armor of God daily, helps me to examine my heart and to think upon who Jesus is and what he is doing for me in the spiritual battle. It gives a greater perspective of the reality of God's protection upon us in the spiritual battle we are in. It prepares me to stand in this very evil day. Putting on the armor of God is like a word picture of what Jesus has done for us, a daily reminder.

But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. (Romans 13:14)


Please See: Introduction Of Seven Parts
And: Part 1 -Truth

Now I would like to continue with:

PART 2 - THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS


Our next piece of armor is the Breastplate of Righteousness.

Contrary to the world's intellect that dictates to parents to build self esteem in their children, we need to communicate to our children that we have no righteousness of our own, we are not good!
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6) God clearly wants us to know that our human nature is terrible and wicked ; "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)
Should we tell our children differently? Let us tell them what God says about us, and point them to the ONLY ONE that can deliver us from our own pitiful nature; Jesus Christ our Lord!
We can explain to them that Jesus is the only Righteousness that God has provided for us. We can teach them that they have to answer to God for their actions, and have consequences for poor behavior...("Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol". Proverbs 23:13-14) It is right to point our children to God all day long and let them know He wants them to love Him and obey His Word! Perhaps they will not understand, but that is alright, pray for them and wait on God to bring the understanding. We need to obey God in teaching our children.

After my children and I had put on the belt of Truth, we put on the breastplate of Righteousness. We would place the cardboard breastplate piece on the soldier and then pretend to place it on ourselves. I would pray something like this: "Dear Lord Jesus I put on the breastplate of righteousness. Please protect my heart from wrong feelings. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit, through my life pour forth your fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."(Galatians 5:22-23) Please bear forth good fruit for the Kingdom of God. Let me listen to your leading and not obey what my flesh tells me to do. Thank you for your Righteousness that covers me through Jesus Christ. " Again, I didn't pray the same thing every time, but only as the Spirit of God would lead me. This was an example to my children and they would take turns and pray as well, in their own words.

Putting on the breastplate of Righteousness gives opportunity for thought to reflect on Jesus and His Holy Righteousness. If we are tempted to be proud for anything, just look at what Jesus says about our human nature... this causes me to fear God even more, that He should be so merciful to save a wretch like me!

Praise God forever more!

John Gill's Commentary says:

"and having on the breastplate of righteousness"; in allusion to Isa_59:17, meaning not works of righteousness done by men, though these are a fence when rightly used against the reproaches and charges of the enemy, as they were by Samuel, 1Sa_12:3, but rather the graces of faith and love, 1Th_5:8, though faith has another place in the Christian armour, afterwards mentioned; wherefore it seems best to understand this of the righteousness of Christ, which being imputed by God, and received by faith, is a guard against, and repels the accusations and charges of Satan, and is a security from all wrath and condemnation.

Barnes commentary says:

And having on the breast-plate - The word rendered here as “breastplate” θώρἀξ thōrax denoted the “cuirass,” Lat.: lorica, or coat of mail; i. e., the armor that covered the body from the neck to the thighs, and consisted of two parts, one covering the front and the other the back. It was made of rings, or in the form of scales, or of plates, so fastened together that they, would be flexible, and yet guard the body from a sword, spear, or arrow. It is referred to in the Scriptures as a “coat of mail” 1Sa_17:5; an “habergeon” Neh_4:16, or as a “breast-plate.” We are told that Goliath’s coat of mail weighed five thousand shekels of brass, or nearly one hundred and sixty pounds. It was often formed of plates of brass, laid one upon another, like the scales of a fish. The following cuts will give an idea of this ancient piece of armor.
Of righteousness - Integrity, holiness, purity of life, sincerity of piety. The breast-plate defended the vital parts of the body; and the idea here may be that the integrity of life, and righteousness of character, is as necessary to defend us from the assaults of Satan, as the coat of mail was to preserve the heart from the arrows of an enemy. It was the incorruptible integrity of Job, and, in a higher sense, of the Redeemer himself, that saved them from the temptations of the devil. And it is as true now that no one can successfully meet the power of temptation unless he is righteous, as that a soldier could not defend himself against a foe without such a coat of mail. A want of integrity will leave a man exposed to the assaults of the enemy, just as a man would be whose coat of mail was defective, or some part of which was missing. The king of Israel was smitten by an arrow sent from a bow, drawn at a venture, “between the joints of his harness” or the “breast-plate” (margin), 1Ki_22:34; and many a man who thinks he has on the “Christian” armor is smitten in the same manner. There is some defect of character; some want of incorruptible integrity; some point that is unguarded - and that will be sure to be the point of attack by the foe. So David was tempted to commit the enormous crimes that stain his memory, and Peter to deny his Lord. So Judas was assailed, for the want of the armor of righteousness, through his avarice; and so, by some want of incorruptible integrity in a single point, many a minister of the gospel has been assailed and has fallen. It may be added here, that we need a righteousness which God alone can give; the righteousness of God our Saviour, to make us perfectly invulnerable to all the arrows of the foe.

Let us teach our children to put on the whole armor of God!

Part 3- The Preperation of the Gospel of Peace
Part 4- The Shield Of Faith

2 comments:

ktrew said...

Sara, I found your blog because I was googling, armor of God for children. My husband and I direct a children's camp and He has impressed on us that that should be the theme this year. I enjoyed your blog and the pictures . Where did you get your graphics? Thank you and keep writing!!
Kay Rew

sarah said...

Thank you for the encouragement Kay!

It's exciting to hear that you are planning to make the armor of God the theme for your camp! Do you have a web site for it?

I found the graphics for my site through Google images...

God bless you and your work for Him!

In our Savior, Jesus Christ,
Sarah