Armed For Battle - Spiritual Warfare - Part 4

(S-4) Our weapons
* Saints we have seen who our enemies are and where they attack and the signs it is a Spiritual attack now let’s the look at the armor Yahwah has provided us to fight these battles.

• Eph 6:10-18
1. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth
אֶמֶת 'emeth (eh'-meth) (English Pronunciation: E-met)

• The first piece of armor Paul mentions in Ephesians 6:14 is "loins girt about with truth”

• What purpose did the belt serve for a Roman soldier? What purpose does the belt of truth serve for us?

• Discovery Channel interviewed Deputy Shawn Osborne, whose standard-issue belt buckle deflected a bullet at close range, saving his life. In spite of a big bruise, Deputy Osborne knew he was "very lucky."

• Belt buckles are not designed to stop bullets. But there was a time when belts were an important part of defensive armor.

• When the apostle Paul describes the armor of God, he chooses to begin describing that set of armor by talking about...a belt?
• Why, of all things, a belt? He could have started with the sword of the Spirit, the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness—anything but some measly old belt. But he didn't. So that begs the question—why?

• In addition, the Nelson Study Bible says from the belt "hung strips of leather to protect the lower body."

• Truth should cleave to us as a belt cleaves to our body.
◦ Prov 23:23

• What is truth?
◦ John 17:17
◦ Psa 119:142
◦ Psa 119:151
• You cannot ask for a clearer picture then that.

• What about those who would say “Well, the Scriptures where written by man!”
◦ 2 Timothy 3:16
◦ The Greek expression translated "inspiration of Yahwah" literally means "Yahwah-breathed"!
◦ Every word, every commandment, every promise, everything in His Word is truth.
◦ Quotes by famous people about the Scriptues:
▪ “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.” —George Washington, first president of the United States
▪ “There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history.” —Isaac Newton, father of modern physics
and astronomy
▪ “A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.” —Theodore Roosevelt, U.S. president
▪ “That Book [the Bible] accounts for the supremacy of England.” —Queen Victoria, longest-reigning monarch in British history

• What does truth have to do with a belt?
◦ 1 Thessalonians 5:21 - Test all things; hold fast what is good.
◦ We need to hold on to all things that are good (Truth) and discard the rest.
◦ We are to be like the Bereans who "searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11)

• Proverbs 3:3-4

• A belt encompasses the waist. Does our conviction to the truth encompass us? As this scripture notes, truth must be bound around us and written on our hearts—our conviction must reach beyond an outward show.

• The belt used in Roman armor, as we have learned, provided a place for the soldier's sword. Our sword—the sword of the Spirit—likewise needs a sheath. Truth is vital because, like a Roman soldier's belt, it allows us to carry the sword of the Spirit and use it effectively.

• What other lessons can we learn from the biblical analogy of having our waist "girded" by a belt?
◦ Luke 12:35-37

• Messiah told us to always be watching and ready for His return.
◦ 1 Peter 1:13
◦ The New International Version translates it as "prepare your minds for action."

• What are the dangers of not wearing the belt?
◦ Romans 12:2

• The world we live in teaches that truth is what we make it—that good and bad are relative and that there are no absolutes, only equally valid opinions. But the Bible teaches that truth is Yahwah's Word—that good and bad are defined by Him and that there are eternal and unchangeable absolutes, uninfluenced by opinions.

◦ 2 Timothy 2:15

• Imagine a belt that’s broke. No matter how you try to use it, the belt is still useless. To do its job, it must be one continuous, unbroken piece.

• Now imagine living a way of life you don't completely agree with. Maybe it doesn't seem like a big deal—after all, what are a couple minor points that you're not sure about?
• They are everything. To try to live God's way without total belief in its validity is like trying to hold your sword up with a belt that isn't continuous. Neither will work. Our trust in God and His Word must be solid, without break, or else we will quickly find ourselves without a weapon. No matter how effective the rest of our armor is, we are useless without our sword. We need to be rightly dividing the word of truth—knowing what we believe, and why.

• So - how secure is your belt?