WEBVTT 00:00:10.060 --> 00:00:15.039 Ephesians 6, we're going to read verses 10 through 00:00:15.039 --> 00:00:20.480 20. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the 00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:24.100 strength of his might. Put on the full armor 00:00:24.100 --> 00:00:26.420 of God so that you will be able to stand firm 00:00:26.420 --> 00:00:30.399 against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle 00:00:30.399 --> 00:00:33.280 is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, 00:00:33.719 --> 00:00:36.950 against the powers, against... the world's forces 00:00:36.950 --> 00:00:39.630 of this darkness against the spiritual forces 00:00:39.630 --> 00:00:44.490 of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, 00:00:44.609 --> 00:00:47.469 take up the full armor of God so that you will 00:00:47.469 --> 00:00:51.750 be able to resist in the evil day, and having 00:00:51.750 --> 00:00:57.310 done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm, therefore, 00:00:57.530 --> 00:01:02.490 having girded your loins with truth, and having 00:01:02.490 --> 00:01:05.879 put on the breastplate of righteousness. and 00:01:05.879 --> 00:01:09.299 having shod your feet with the preparation of 00:01:09.299 --> 00:01:14.420 the gospel of peace. In addition to all, taking 00:01:14.420 --> 00:01:17.719 up the shield of faith with which you will be 00:01:17.719 --> 00:01:20.680 able to extinguish the flaming arrows of the 00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:24.299 evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and 00:01:24.299 --> 00:01:27.019 the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of 00:01:27.019 --> 00:01:31.180 God. With all prayer and petition, pray at all 00:01:31.180 --> 00:01:34.370 times in the Spirit. And with this in view, be 00:01:34.370 --> 00:01:38.189 on the alert with all perseverance and petition 00:01:38.189 --> 00:01:41.769 for all the saints. And pray on my behalf that 00:01:41.769 --> 00:01:44.790 utterance may be given to me in the opening of 00:01:44.790 --> 00:01:48.769 my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery 00:01:48.769 --> 00:01:51.870 of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in 00:01:51.870 --> 00:01:56.310 chains, that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly 00:01:56.310 --> 00:01:59.569 as I ought to speak. Let's go to the Lord in 00:01:59.569 --> 00:02:04.349 prayer. Father, we come to You this Lord's Day. 00:02:06.129 --> 00:02:11.650 Father, we thank You for Your Word. And Father, 00:02:11.669 --> 00:02:14.550 we thank You for the fact that You have given 00:02:14.550 --> 00:02:19.729 us truth in the Gospel. Father, You have given 00:02:19.729 --> 00:02:24.389 us revelation to know who You are, to know who 00:02:24.389 --> 00:02:27.870 Christ is, to know what is true of the world 00:02:27.870 --> 00:02:30.830 around us, to know what is true of ourselves. 00:02:32.090 --> 00:02:34.969 Lord, to know what is true concerning eternity. 00:02:36.150 --> 00:02:40.710 Lord, to know what is true concerning spiritual 00:02:40.710 --> 00:02:47.389 realities. Spiritual forces and enemies that 00:02:47.389 --> 00:02:50.909 oppose the church. Father, we ask tonight that 00:02:50.909 --> 00:02:53.969 you would bless our time in the word of God. 00:02:54.870 --> 00:02:59.569 Lord, that you would make us to be a people of 00:02:59.569 --> 00:03:03.240 truth. We ask these things in Christ's name. 00:03:03.319 --> 00:03:15.300 Amen. We live largely in a world that is highly 00:03:15.300 --> 00:03:23.960 characterized by falsehood and deceit and manipulation, 00:03:24.180 --> 00:03:34.289 crooked agendas, error. People trying to malign 00:03:34.289 --> 00:03:41.469 other people. These are commonplace in the unbelieving 00:03:41.469 --> 00:03:47.569 world that the church exists in. But the church 00:03:47.569 --> 00:03:53.169 is meant to be very, very different than the 00:03:53.169 --> 00:03:58.270 world around it. Unlike the world that is characterized 00:03:58.270 --> 00:04:04.590 by falsehood. The church of Jesus Christ is meant 00:04:04.590 --> 00:04:11.710 to be characterized distinctly by truth. The 00:04:11.710 --> 00:04:17.170 truth of God that he has given to us in the word 00:04:17.170 --> 00:04:23.910 of God. One of the primary means and reasons 00:04:23.910 --> 00:04:30.959 why the enemy of God's people, the devil, and 00:04:30.959 --> 00:04:35.699 spiritual forces of wickedness, has such free 00:04:35.699 --> 00:04:40.939 reign in the unbelieving world, is because he 00:04:40.939 --> 00:04:48.660 works efficiently through error and falsehood. 00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:53.980 But again, the church is meant to be different, 00:04:54.240 --> 00:04:59.449 a place of truth, where it is known, where it 00:04:59.449 --> 00:05:04.069 is exalted, where it is valued, where it is propagated, 00:05:04.230 --> 00:05:08.889 where it is thought on, where it is part of us, 00:05:08.949 --> 00:05:14.389 where it forms us and shapes us. The truth, if 00:05:14.389 --> 00:05:18.529 we think about it, is that thing that distinctly 00:05:18.529 --> 00:05:23.850 makes the church different in this world. So 00:05:23.850 --> 00:05:28.139 tonight, we're going to consider... Spiritual 00:05:28.139 --> 00:05:32.920 warfare again. We're going to consider verse 00:05:32.920 --> 00:05:39.439 14, which says this. Stand firm, therefore, having 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:44.959 girded your loins with truth. Now, as we consider 00:05:44.959 --> 00:05:48.259 this, there's three things that I think we have 00:05:48.259 --> 00:05:53.300 to consider with regards to this piece of armor. 00:05:53.519 --> 00:05:58.360 The truth as part of the armor. or where it fits 00:05:58.360 --> 00:06:03.040 into the armor, its place in the armor that God 00:06:03.040 --> 00:06:06.480 has given to us, then we have to consider the 00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:12.079 truth as something to be girded with, to be wrapped 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:17.319 in, to be attached to us, to be bound to us. 00:06:18.379 --> 00:06:22.139 But we also have to consider truth's role in 00:06:22.139 --> 00:06:26.699 this warfare. So first, considering the truth 00:06:26.699 --> 00:06:31.800 as part of the armor. I think it would be helpful 00:06:31.800 --> 00:06:35.759 for us to first consider how we define and what 00:06:35.759 --> 00:06:41.560 we consider truth to be. So we'll work our way 00:06:41.560 --> 00:06:44.519 through Ephesians here for a few minutes and 00:06:44.519 --> 00:06:48.660 see what Paul conveys truth to be throughout 00:06:48.660 --> 00:06:52.680 the book of Ephesians. We read in Ephesians chapter 00:06:52.680 --> 00:06:59.699 1, Verse 13, in him you also, after listening 00:06:59.699 --> 00:07:05.120 to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, 00:07:05.319 --> 00:07:09.399 having also believed, you are sealed in him with 00:07:09.399 --> 00:07:15.120 the Holy Spirit of promise. So in Ephesians 1 00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:20.300 .13, truth is the message of the gospel. It's 00:07:20.300 --> 00:07:29.160 not abstract. objective. It is the truth of the 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:32.959 gospel message. It's the reality of Christ made 00:07:32.959 --> 00:07:36.899 known in God's self -revelation that he has given 00:07:36.899 --> 00:07:42.560 to his people in the gospel, which we find inscripturated 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:47.040 in the Bible, ultimately, with a closed canon. 00:07:47.420 --> 00:07:53.370 Now, we also read in Ephesians chapter 4, Verse 00:07:53.370 --> 00:08:03.170 15. We see truth. Mentioned again. We will start 00:08:03.170 --> 00:08:17.850 reading in verse 14. As a result. We are no longer. 00:08:18.350 --> 00:08:23.000 To be children. Tossed here and there. by waves 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:26.579 and carried about by every wind of doctrine, 00:08:26.779 --> 00:08:32.539 by the trickery of men, by craftiness and deceitful 00:08:32.539 --> 00:08:36.820 scheming. Now notice that Paul is characterizing 00:08:36.820 --> 00:08:42.200 these realities which keep a person in immaturity, 00:08:42.700 --> 00:08:47.740 that keep a person from growing in the faith. 00:08:47.899 --> 00:08:51.679 He characterizes them in ways that are in accordance 00:08:52.200 --> 00:08:58.740 with the workings of the devil. Craftiness, trickery, 00:08:58.820 --> 00:09:05.159 every wind of doctrine, deceitful scheming. Remember, 00:09:05.259 --> 00:09:10.019 the devil, his method is schemes, subtleties, 00:09:10.100 --> 00:09:15.299 perversions, tricks, craftiness. But listen to 00:09:15.299 --> 00:09:21.259 verse 15. But speaking the truth in love, We 00:09:21.259 --> 00:09:26.899 are to grow up in all aspects into him who is 00:09:26.899 --> 00:09:32.759 the head, even Christ. So, the church is not 00:09:32.759 --> 00:09:37.440 to remain in immaturity. The church is to grow 00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:40.960 up. And how does the church grow up? Through 00:09:40.960 --> 00:09:47.080 the truth being spoken. Through the truth being 00:09:47.080 --> 00:09:51.259 present, being conveyed. being communicated in 00:09:51.259 --> 00:09:53.340 the midst of the church. It is a means of the 00:09:53.340 --> 00:09:56.460 church growing into the fullness and maturity 00:09:56.460 --> 00:10:02.299 of Jesus Christ in this world. So here we find 00:10:02.299 --> 00:10:06.200 that truth is the means of bringing maturity 00:10:06.200 --> 00:10:09.899 into the life of the church, into the life of 00:10:09.899 --> 00:10:15.299 God's people. Now, if we jump down to the next 00:10:15.299 --> 00:10:24.360 section, We'll go ahead and start reading in 00:10:24.360 --> 00:10:30.860 verse 20 of the same chapter. But you did not 00:10:30.860 --> 00:10:35.519 learn Christ in this way. If indeed you have 00:10:35.519 --> 00:10:40.080 heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as 00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:45.340 truth is in Jesus, that in reference to your 00:10:45.340 --> 00:10:48.889 former manner of life, you lay aside the old 00:10:48.889 --> 00:10:51.850 self, which is being corrupted in accordance 00:10:51.850 --> 00:10:56.129 with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed 00:10:56.129 --> 00:10:59.269 in the spirit of your mind, and put on a new 00:10:59.269 --> 00:11:02.970 self, which in the likeness of God has been created 00:11:02.970 --> 00:11:07.730 in righteousness and holiness of what? Of the 00:11:07.730 --> 00:11:16.210 truth. So here, we find that truth is that thing, 00:11:17.159 --> 00:11:21.379 That our regenerate part of our self is in accord 00:11:21.379 --> 00:11:25.639 with. Where we are conformed more into the image 00:11:25.639 --> 00:11:29.799 and likeness of Christ. Who is the living embodiment 00:11:29.799 --> 00:11:38.639 of truth. So truth is that which defines the 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:43.440 regenerate part of the believer. The new man. 00:11:43.860 --> 00:11:47.980 The new self. the new creature that is in accord 00:11:47.980 --> 00:11:54.419 with the person of Christ. But if we go on, then 00:11:54.419 --> 00:12:00.080 we read in Ephesians 6 .14, where Paul says this, 00:12:00.480 --> 00:12:05.600 Stand firm, therefore, having girded your loins 00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:13.080 with truth. So when Paul says that the believers 00:12:13.799 --> 00:12:17.019 at Ephesus are to gird their loins with truth. 00:12:17.740 --> 00:12:21.539 He's speaking about objective truth, the Word 00:12:21.539 --> 00:12:25.980 of God. He's speaking about the message of truth. 00:12:26.080 --> 00:12:28.399 He's speaking about the reality of who Christ 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:32.039 is, the reality which grows the church in maturity. 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:35.759 But he's also speaking about the fact that truth 00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:40.759 is to be a defining characteristic among the 00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:45.149 community of God's people. It's that which is 00:12:45.149 --> 00:12:47.690 spoken, that which is conveyed, that which is 00:12:47.690 --> 00:12:51.149 enjoyed. It's part of the atmosphere of the church, 00:12:51.190 --> 00:12:56.029 you could say. So when we think about this, we 00:12:56.029 --> 00:12:59.529 have to think primarily about the truth being 00:12:59.529 --> 00:13:03.509 objective and outside, separate from us, something 00:13:03.509 --> 00:13:06.850 to be laid hold of, something to be taken and 00:13:06.850 --> 00:13:12.980 applied to ourselves. So truth... in this context, 00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:16.759 as that which we are to gird our loins with, 00:13:16.919 --> 00:13:23.799 is the first piece of armor. It comes before 00:13:23.799 --> 00:13:28.480 the breastplate. It comes before the shotting 00:13:28.480 --> 00:13:30.639 of your feet with preparation of the gospel. 00:13:30.840 --> 00:13:33.220 It comes before the shield of faith. It comes 00:13:33.220 --> 00:13:37.399 before the helmet. It comes before the sword. 00:13:37.559 --> 00:13:40.360 It comes before prayer, brothers and sisters. 00:13:40.700 --> 00:13:42.879 In a sense, we could say that everything else 00:13:42.879 --> 00:13:48.639 is built on this piece of armor, truth. It's 00:13:48.639 --> 00:13:52.879 foundational and essential to the Christian life 00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:56.340 in standing firm in this spiritual battle that 00:13:56.340 --> 00:13:59.360 we are part of. Just as a thought experiment, 00:13:59.879 --> 00:14:05.840 consider living the Christian life without truth. 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:15.299 How would you do that? How would you live the 00:14:15.299 --> 00:14:18.700 Christian life if you didn't know what was true? 00:14:19.659 --> 00:14:23.960 If God hasn't given us the Word of God, if He 00:14:23.960 --> 00:14:26.940 hasn't given us the truth, if He hasn't given 00:14:26.940 --> 00:14:30.480 us this deposit of revelation, how would we know 00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:33.580 who we ought to be in Christ, what Christ has 00:14:33.580 --> 00:14:37.840 done, what the church is to be, how we are to 00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:40.340 live, how we are to behave, how we are to act, 00:14:40.460 --> 00:14:45.340 how we are to think? We could not do it. Truth 00:14:45.340 --> 00:14:48.820 is essential and foundational for the Christian 00:14:48.820 --> 00:14:53.139 life and for this spiritual battle. But we also 00:14:53.139 --> 00:14:56.580 see that truth is something to be girded with. 00:14:57.399 --> 00:15:00.639 Now when we think about this, it's important 00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:04.519 that we understand the metaphor that the Apostle 00:15:04.519 --> 00:15:08.720 Paul is using. Before we get to that, let's look 00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:13.179 at a couple verses briefly. Look at Luke chapter 00:15:13.179 --> 00:15:22.639 12, verse 35. Luke 12, 35 says this. Be dressed 00:15:22.639 --> 00:15:29.059 in readiness and keep your lamps lit. That word, 00:15:29.240 --> 00:15:35.879 dressed in readiness, be girded. Have your loins 00:15:35.879 --> 00:15:42.309 girded. Be ready. Be prepared. It has to do with 00:15:42.309 --> 00:15:48.509 readiness for something that is coming. Preparation 00:15:48.509 --> 00:15:52.909 for something in the future. It's preparation 00:15:52.909 --> 00:15:59.370 that you might be able to do something. It frees 00:15:59.370 --> 00:16:05.190 you to be aware, to be ready to respond, ready 00:16:05.190 --> 00:16:09.570 to react, ready to act, ready to take action. 00:16:10.350 --> 00:16:19.909 Now, we also see this same word in 1 Peter. In 00:16:19.909 --> 00:16:26.230 1 Peter 1, verse 13, we read this. Therefore, 00:16:26.289 --> 00:16:31.870 prepare your minds for action. Keep sober in 00:16:31.870 --> 00:16:35.070 spirit. Fix your hope completely on the grace 00:16:35.070 --> 00:16:38.049 to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus 00:16:38.049 --> 00:16:42.899 Christ. Here, the mind is to be girded, prepared, 00:16:43.379 --> 00:16:47.899 readied, brothers and sisters, to live the Christian 00:16:47.899 --> 00:16:52.980 life. So when Paul says that Christians are to 00:16:52.980 --> 00:16:55.820 be girded with the truth, he's saying they are 00:16:55.820 --> 00:16:59.860 to be prepared and readied with the truth. Now 00:16:59.860 --> 00:17:05.740 the metaphor. In that day and age, men would 00:17:05.740 --> 00:17:11.460 typically wear long tunics. Very similar to dresses. 00:17:12.339 --> 00:17:18.960 Now, if that man was going to fight, if that 00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:22.359 man was going to have the freedom of movement 00:17:22.359 --> 00:17:26.799 to engage in some activity, he didn't want the 00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:32.640 flowing tips of his tunic to be an encumbrance 00:17:32.640 --> 00:17:37.619 upon his movement. He might move to the left. 00:17:37.980 --> 00:17:41.339 and step on his tunic. He might move to the right 00:17:41.339 --> 00:17:43.940 and get his leg caught in the tunic and fall 00:17:43.940 --> 00:17:48.299 over. It was a hindrance. It was an encumbrance 00:17:48.299 --> 00:17:54.579 to the activity which he wanted to engage in. 00:17:54.680 --> 00:17:59.039 It got in the way. So what did the man do if 00:17:59.039 --> 00:18:03.539 he needed to engage in the activity, to be prepared 00:18:03.539 --> 00:18:07.569 and to be ready to fight, to be in battle? Well, 00:18:07.609 --> 00:18:10.509 what that man would do is he'd grab the tips 00:18:10.509 --> 00:18:14.390 of his tunic, he'd take them up, he'd tighten 00:18:14.390 --> 00:18:17.789 them real tight around his thighs, and then he'd 00:18:17.789 --> 00:18:20.509 tuck them into a sash or a belt, and he'd tighten 00:18:20.509 --> 00:18:25.589 that around his waist. So we get the image, don't 00:18:25.589 --> 00:18:32.470 we? The tunic is out of the way, and he is free 00:18:32.470 --> 00:18:39.380 to move and act. And engage in a manner where 00:18:39.380 --> 00:18:46.779 he is no longer encumbered by his tunic. This 00:18:46.779 --> 00:18:52.180 is what the author wants us to see. This is what 00:18:52.180 --> 00:18:56.279 Paul wants us to understand. That we are to take 00:18:56.279 --> 00:19:01.920 truth and gird ourselves with it. So that we 00:19:01.920 --> 00:19:05.859 are freed from encumbrances. and we are ready 00:19:05.859 --> 00:19:10.779 and prepared to engage in battle. So that we 00:19:10.779 --> 00:19:13.279 are ready to fight, so that we're not going to 00:19:13.279 --> 00:19:16.660 trip over ourselves. So that we're not going 00:19:16.660 --> 00:19:19.460 to catch the corner of the tunic and tumble and 00:19:19.460 --> 00:19:23.680 be incapable of doing battle. He wants us to 00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:26.660 be ready and to be prepared. But here's the important 00:19:26.660 --> 00:19:31.480 part. This is an action, isn't it? If we are 00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:35.200 to gird ourselves with the truth, It means taking 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:39.660 action. It means that something is required of 00:19:39.660 --> 00:19:44.059 us. So let's consider the nature of this action 00:19:44.059 --> 00:19:48.779 very briefly. If we as Christians are to gird 00:19:48.779 --> 00:19:54.420 ourselves with truth, then this necessarily involves 00:19:54.420 --> 00:20:01.539 dealing personally with the truth itself. If 00:20:01.539 --> 00:20:03.759 I'm going to take truth, which is sitting over 00:20:03.759 --> 00:20:06.779 here, and I'm over here, and I'm going to gird 00:20:06.779 --> 00:20:09.160 myself with that, that means I have to personally 00:20:09.160 --> 00:20:12.180 and intimately take hold of this and bring it 00:20:12.180 --> 00:20:16.440 over here and apply it to me. We have to deal 00:20:16.440 --> 00:20:21.740 intimately and personally with that. So we cannot 00:20:21.740 --> 00:20:26.940 gird ourselves with truth and be ready for this 00:20:26.940 --> 00:20:30.130 warfare that Paul is talking about. If we are 00:20:30.130 --> 00:20:36.009 unwilling to deal intimately with the truth of 00:20:36.009 --> 00:20:42.630 God's Word. If we are unwilling to give ourselves 00:20:42.630 --> 00:20:48.569 to dealing with the truth of the living God in 00:20:48.569 --> 00:20:51.710 such a way that something is required of us. 00:20:52.950 --> 00:20:55.809 Now, that's the first part. We cannot do this 00:20:55.809 --> 00:21:00.150 if we don't deal intimately with the truth. But 00:21:00.150 --> 00:21:02.930 it's not just dealing intimately with the truth. 00:21:03.029 --> 00:21:07.150 If we are to gird ourselves, this also means 00:21:07.150 --> 00:21:13.750 dealing intimately with what? Ourselves. And 00:21:13.750 --> 00:21:18.130 how must we deal with ourselves? With the truth 00:21:18.130 --> 00:21:22.730 in hand. So we have to deal with the truth and 00:21:22.730 --> 00:21:25.329 we have to deal with ourselves. That means taking 00:21:25.329 --> 00:21:30.329 the truth. And dealing with the truth in our 00:21:30.329 --> 00:21:36.309 own hearts, our own minds, our own thoughts, 00:21:36.630 --> 00:21:40.789 our own longings, our own desires, our own lives. 00:21:41.170 --> 00:21:45.730 I cannot take the truth and shove it in somebody 00:21:45.730 --> 00:21:49.190 else's chest and make them appropriate that reality, 00:21:49.589 --> 00:21:51.690 brothers and sisters. But you know what I can 00:21:51.690 --> 00:21:56.460 do? I can deal with the truth and I can deal 00:21:56.460 --> 00:22:01.140 with myself personally. And I can pray and ask 00:22:01.140 --> 00:22:03.740 God to apply it to my heart and I can receive 00:22:03.740 --> 00:22:08.380 it by faith. That's what we're called to do here. 00:22:10.220 --> 00:22:13.740 It's interesting that here at the beginning of 00:22:13.740 --> 00:22:17.839 the list of armor, the first way that Paul tells 00:22:17.839 --> 00:22:23.319 us to deal with warfare out here, is to deal 00:22:23.319 --> 00:22:30.259 with the truth and ourselves right here. If we 00:22:30.259 --> 00:22:34.019 want to fight, then brothers and sisters, we 00:22:34.019 --> 00:22:36.339 must first deal with the demons in our own hearts 00:22:36.339 --> 00:22:40.420 and our own minds. If you want to stand firm 00:22:40.420 --> 00:22:43.480 against the onslaughts of the devil and spiritual 00:22:43.480 --> 00:22:46.339 forces, then you must deal with the issues of 00:22:46.339 --> 00:22:49.099 your own heart and apply the Word of God to yourself. 00:22:49.609 --> 00:22:55.910 faithfully, consistently, and regularly. We must 00:22:55.910 --> 00:23:00.309 take up the truth. In a sense, grab the sword 00:23:00.309 --> 00:23:06.329 and plunge it within our own chest, right? To 00:23:06.329 --> 00:23:08.750 deal with the corruption, the remnant of sin, 00:23:08.849 --> 00:23:11.750 the heartache, the pride, the struggles in our 00:23:11.750 --> 00:23:18.980 own life. So we must Deal with the truth personally. 00:23:19.319 --> 00:23:24.319 And we must deal with ourselves. I really think 00:23:24.319 --> 00:23:27.740 this is a hiccup for a lot of people, brothers 00:23:27.740 --> 00:23:33.220 and sisters. I think many people are unwilling 00:23:33.220 --> 00:23:38.900 to take time to wrestle with their own hearts. 00:23:41.079 --> 00:23:45.000 To slow down and to think through their own issues. 00:23:47.019 --> 00:23:50.339 Their own struggles, their own problems. Why 00:23:50.339 --> 00:23:55.940 is this occurring in my life? Why is this happening 00:23:55.940 --> 00:23:59.039 to me? Why do I keep getting the same outcome? 00:23:59.279 --> 00:24:01.480 Why is this struggle? Why is this temptation? 00:24:01.859 --> 00:24:04.900 Why is this trial? Why is this sin so prominent? 00:24:05.019 --> 00:24:08.059 Whatever it might be, I really believe that men 00:24:08.059 --> 00:24:10.779 and women today really struggle with the fact 00:24:10.779 --> 00:24:13.799 of sitting down, taking time, and intently dealing 00:24:13.799 --> 00:24:18.630 with their own hearts with the truth. In a sense, 00:24:18.650 --> 00:24:20.930 this is the first step, brothers and sisters, 00:24:21.190 --> 00:24:26.130 to standing firm against the schemes of the devil. 00:24:27.029 --> 00:24:30.309 Don't think you can fight in this war if you're 00:24:30.309 --> 00:24:34.650 unwilling to battle your own hearts. That's the 00:24:34.650 --> 00:24:38.970 first step that we must take. And sometimes that's 00:24:38.970 --> 00:24:44.069 not that pleasant, is it? Sometimes we just don't 00:24:44.069 --> 00:24:47.599 reign in our minds. And give enough diligence 00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:51.299 to thinking about ourselves. And our own sin. 00:24:51.339 --> 00:24:56.079 And our own issues. When in reality. This is 00:24:56.079 --> 00:24:58.579 what is required of us brothers and sisters. 00:24:59.339 --> 00:25:02.819 If we are to put on the truth. If we are to gird 00:25:02.819 --> 00:25:09.440 ourselves with the truth. Now because this involves 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:16.319 truth. I believe that. this piece of armor chiefly 00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:21.720 corresponds to the mind. I believe the truth 00:25:21.720 --> 00:25:26.039 in Scripture chiefly corresponds to the mind 00:25:26.039 --> 00:25:30.420 of the believer. So when Paul says, gird your 00:25:30.420 --> 00:25:34.880 loins with truth, the armor does not necessarily 00:25:34.880 --> 00:25:39.259 correspond with the metaphorical placement of 00:25:39.259 --> 00:25:45.180 it on the armor bearer in Ephesians 6. So if 00:25:45.180 --> 00:25:48.539 we are to gird ourselves with the truth, it means 00:25:48.539 --> 00:25:52.700 girding our minds and our thinking, our thoughts, 00:25:52.720 --> 00:25:56.839 our understanding with the truth of the scriptures. 00:25:57.339 --> 00:26:06.500 How do you affect a person's life? How is your 00:26:06.500 --> 00:26:11.420 life affected? How is your life changed and transformed? 00:26:15.980 --> 00:26:20.759 What is it that influences our hearts? What is 00:26:20.759 --> 00:26:24.339 it that leads and guides our affections in life? 00:26:24.980 --> 00:26:27.599 Brothers and sisters, what's the gateway? What's 00:26:27.599 --> 00:26:29.700 the window into all those things? What's the 00:26:29.700 --> 00:26:32.799 door you have to go through? It's the mind, brothers 00:26:32.799 --> 00:26:37.680 and sisters. So Paul is calling us to take the 00:26:37.680 --> 00:26:44.220 truth and bring it into our life through... Our 00:26:44.220 --> 00:26:49.000 minds. To think about these realities. To think 00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:52.599 about who Christ is. To think about who we are 00:26:52.599 --> 00:26:56.859 in Christ. To think about what he has done. To 00:26:56.859 --> 00:26:59.720 think about what is true. Of redemption. What 00:26:59.720 --> 00:27:02.839 is true of me. And what will be true of me. What 00:27:02.839 --> 00:27:05.259 the church is. What is required of me of the 00:27:05.259 --> 00:27:09.160 church. All of these realities contained in the 00:27:09.160 --> 00:27:12.859 word. These are the things that are supposed 00:27:12.859 --> 00:27:18.900 to. be girded to the Christian's mind. It's the 00:27:18.900 --> 00:27:25.720 mind, heart, will, affections. That's the order, 00:27:25.900 --> 00:27:30.160 brothers and sisters. The mind, heart, will, 00:27:30.460 --> 00:27:38.420 and affections. So, if the devil wants to lay 00:27:38.420 --> 00:27:44.920 hold of a person, If the devil wants to influence 00:27:44.920 --> 00:27:50.460 a person's affections, if the devil wants to 00:27:50.460 --> 00:27:53.799 influence a person's heart, their desires, their 00:27:53.799 --> 00:27:58.420 longings, if the devil wants to change a person's 00:27:58.420 --> 00:28:01.480 behavior and their actions, where does he go 00:28:01.480 --> 00:28:07.000 first? The mind. He distorts and he perverts 00:28:07.000 --> 00:28:09.700 and he twists the truth so that our thinking 00:28:09.700 --> 00:28:14.640 is all wrong. Thinking is perverted. And then 00:28:14.640 --> 00:28:18.079 he's got the person. So what must a believer 00:28:18.079 --> 00:28:23.180 do? The believer must combat the lies of the 00:28:23.180 --> 00:28:26.259 devil and the errors of the world that he works 00:28:26.259 --> 00:28:30.400 so thoroughly through with truth. The people 00:28:30.400 --> 00:28:35.220 of God must gird themselves and their minds with 00:28:35.220 --> 00:28:41.319 truth if they are to stand in the face. Of the 00:28:41.319 --> 00:28:46.940 father of lies. Who works through deception and 00:28:46.940 --> 00:28:53.519 deceit and error and false doctrine. So it's 00:28:53.519 --> 00:28:59.720 the mind. What is it that shapes you more than 00:28:59.720 --> 00:29:03.539 anything else? I'm not talking about what should 00:29:03.539 --> 00:29:08.549 shape you more than anything else. I want you 00:29:08.549 --> 00:29:12.089 to do an inventory of your life, brothers and 00:29:12.089 --> 00:29:21.230 sisters. Think about what you are feeding on. 00:29:23.750 --> 00:29:30.170 What is influencing you? What is it that your 00:29:30.170 --> 00:29:38.740 mind is being filled with? Is it the truth of 00:29:38.740 --> 00:29:45.240 God's Word? Is it the Scriptures? Is it Christ? 00:29:47.319 --> 00:29:52.299 Is it the glory of God? Is it the revelation, 00:29:52.579 --> 00:29:55.259 the deposit of revelation that God has given 00:29:55.259 --> 00:29:58.200 to us? Is it the Word, brothers and sisters? 00:29:58.299 --> 00:30:04.630 Is it your Bible? The Word of God is that thing 00:30:04.630 --> 00:30:08.650 which ought to preeminently influence our minds 00:30:08.650 --> 00:30:13.049 and shape our hearts and drive our wills and 00:30:13.049 --> 00:30:15.869 lay hold of our affections so that we love the 00:30:15.869 --> 00:30:18.349 things that God loves and we hate the things 00:30:18.349 --> 00:30:25.289 that God hates. And the devil knows that. He 00:30:25.289 --> 00:30:29.750 knows that better than you know that. He understands 00:30:29.750 --> 00:30:32.930 that reality better than you do. That's why he 00:30:32.930 --> 00:30:36.069 tries to pervert so many believers' minds with 00:30:36.069 --> 00:30:40.549 false doctrine and untruth and half -truth and 00:30:40.549 --> 00:30:45.549 error. Because he can direct the life through 00:30:45.549 --> 00:30:49.349 the mind of a person. He can destroy a person's 00:30:49.349 --> 00:30:52.109 life and the whole trajectory of their life if 00:30:52.109 --> 00:30:53.990 he can just lay hold of their mind and their 00:30:53.990 --> 00:30:57.630 thinking. Because then he's got the heart. and 00:30:57.630 --> 00:31:00.309 then he's got the will, and then he's got the 00:31:00.309 --> 00:31:08.109 affections. What is shaping your thinking? What 00:31:08.109 --> 00:31:11.690 informs the way that you think about your brothers 00:31:11.690 --> 00:31:18.690 and sisters in Christ? What is it that informs 00:31:18.690 --> 00:31:25.029 the way you view the world around you? What is 00:31:25.029 --> 00:31:29.460 it that informs How you view yourself in Christ. 00:31:31.579 --> 00:31:35.440 It ought to be. And it must be brothers and sisters. 00:31:36.160 --> 00:31:42.359 The word of God. The truth. Which sanctifies 00:31:42.359 --> 00:31:51.519 us. This is why we have Romans 12 .2. This is 00:31:51.519 --> 00:31:57.150 why Paul talks about. Ephesians 4. We did not 00:31:57.150 --> 00:32:02.789 learn Christ in this way. This is why he talks 00:32:02.789 --> 00:32:06.910 about that the Gentiles also walk in the futility 00:32:06.910 --> 00:32:13.589 of their mind. Because a life is led by the mind 00:32:13.589 --> 00:32:17.150 and our thoughts, brothers and sisters. So if 00:32:17.150 --> 00:32:20.309 we are to obey this command, and we are to stand 00:32:20.309 --> 00:32:23.420 firm against the schemes of the devil, that means 00:32:23.420 --> 00:32:30.759 girding our mind with truth. So, does that mean 00:32:30.759 --> 00:32:42.579 that it's okay to disregard doctrine? Or does 00:32:42.579 --> 00:32:46.599 this necessarily imply the significance and the 00:32:46.599 --> 00:32:54.059 importance of doctrine and truth? The majority 00:32:54.059 --> 00:32:57.359 of the New Testament epistles, the Word of God, 00:32:57.559 --> 00:33:06.500 why were they written? To address error. To address 00:33:06.500 --> 00:33:10.859 issues in the life of various churches in Asia 00:33:10.859 --> 00:33:16.720 Minor in that day, in that age. They are full 00:33:16.720 --> 00:33:21.759 of doctrine, brothers and sisters. One of the 00:33:21.759 --> 00:33:25.500 best things that a believer can do to combat 00:33:25.500 --> 00:33:32.700 the wiles of Satan is to think on doctrine that 00:33:32.700 --> 00:33:37.920 is derived from the Word of God. To grow in their 00:33:37.920 --> 00:33:41.660 understanding of who Christ is, who God is, and 00:33:41.660 --> 00:33:46.660 how He works in this world. To grasp doctrine 00:33:46.660 --> 00:33:51.569 in greater ways. and in greater measure in your 00:33:51.569 --> 00:33:56.410 life. We don't have some gold standard with regards 00:33:56.410 --> 00:34:00.349 to doctrine and understanding and comprehension, 00:34:00.410 --> 00:34:05.329 brothers and sisters. What this means is asking 00:34:05.329 --> 00:34:09.769 God for help in this task of understanding the 00:34:09.769 --> 00:34:15.409 truth of the Scriptures. We cannot do that if 00:34:15.409 --> 00:34:18.329 we are not willing to give ourselves to understanding 00:34:18.329 --> 00:34:23.250 doctrine in the Word of God. It's essential for 00:34:23.250 --> 00:34:28.690 being successful in the Christian life, living 00:34:28.690 --> 00:34:32.590 bold and vital Christian lives, and standing 00:34:32.590 --> 00:34:39.130 firm against the schemes of the devil. Now the 00:34:39.130 --> 00:34:43.769 last thing we have to consider is truth's role 00:34:43.769 --> 00:34:48.360 in warfare. I want to give you three specific 00:34:48.360 --> 00:34:53.900 ways that I believe the Bible teaches that truth 00:34:53.900 --> 00:35:00.280 enables the believer to stand firm against the 00:35:00.280 --> 00:35:04.300 schemes of the devil. Now, one of the interesting 00:35:04.300 --> 00:35:10.800 things about this text in Ephesians 6, the verb 00:35:10.800 --> 00:35:19.139 in verse 14 is stand firm. But then there's a 00:35:19.139 --> 00:35:25.519 bunch of participles that modify the verb. And 00:35:25.519 --> 00:35:32.039 so, most likely, the verb, stand firm, is being 00:35:32.039 --> 00:35:36.539 modified by these participles, gird your loins, 00:35:36.679 --> 00:35:41.559 or put on the breastplate. They are modifying 00:35:41.559 --> 00:35:46.539 them in a way that they are, it is means. I'm 00:35:46.539 --> 00:35:51.340 telling you this for a reason. The way a person 00:35:51.340 --> 00:35:58.179 stands firm is through the participles. So if 00:35:58.179 --> 00:36:02.460 a person wants to stand firm, then they have 00:36:02.460 --> 00:36:07.739 to utilize the means of the participles. So if 00:36:07.739 --> 00:36:10.900 a person wants to stand firm, what does that 00:36:10.900 --> 00:36:15.780 require of them? that they gird their loins with 00:36:15.780 --> 00:36:20.019 truth. If a person wants to stand in the battle 00:36:20.019 --> 00:36:23.099 against the devil and this fallen world, that 00:36:23.099 --> 00:36:25.480 means they must put on the breastplate of righteousness. 00:36:26.699 --> 00:36:33.760 There's no standing if there's no girding. There's 00:36:33.760 --> 00:36:37.420 no standing if there's no putting on the breastplate 00:36:37.420 --> 00:36:40.239 of righteousness. There's no standing if there's 00:36:40.239 --> 00:36:43.989 no taking up the shield of... faith. There's 00:36:43.989 --> 00:36:47.849 no standing if there's no putting on the helmet 00:36:47.849 --> 00:36:52.449 of salvation. So the means by which a believer 00:36:52.449 --> 00:36:58.570 stands in this battle is by utilizing the means 00:36:58.570 --> 00:37:03.710 that God has given them to do so. Truth, righteousness, 00:37:04.010 --> 00:37:09.230 the gospel, faith, salvation, the sword of the 00:37:09.230 --> 00:37:14.619 spirit, the word of God. and prayer. So, the 00:37:14.619 --> 00:37:19.679 three ways that I believe truth particularly 00:37:19.679 --> 00:37:25.840 helps the believer stand is the means. Well, 00:37:25.900 --> 00:37:30.980 it first enables the Christian to recognize false 00:37:30.980 --> 00:37:36.300 doctrine and error. If a person doesn't know 00:37:36.300 --> 00:37:43.010 truth, If they don't know what is true, then 00:37:43.010 --> 00:37:47.230 they can't recognize error and false doctrine. 00:37:48.170 --> 00:37:52.250 So, how does the devil work to obtain the mind 00:37:52.250 --> 00:37:56.630 of the believer? Through error and false doctrine. 00:37:57.590 --> 00:38:00.329 So the believer must give themselves to the truth 00:38:00.329 --> 00:38:03.750 so that they can recognize and see. There is 00:38:03.750 --> 00:38:09.960 something off about that. doesn't sit well with 00:38:09.960 --> 00:38:14.159 what I know about the Word of God. That doesn't 00:38:14.159 --> 00:38:17.739 seem to be what Paul means when he says faith. 00:38:18.619 --> 00:38:25.960 That's incorrect. The believer must gird themselves 00:38:25.960 --> 00:38:29.460 with truth so that they can spot and recognize 00:38:29.460 --> 00:38:34.400 error and false doctrine in this world and in 00:38:34.400 --> 00:38:41.829 the church. But also, It makes the Christian 00:38:41.829 --> 00:38:49.469 see more clearly the lies and deceptions that 00:38:49.469 --> 00:38:54.489 are associated with temptation and sin, which 00:38:54.489 --> 00:39:01.250 the devil so thoroughly works through. Every 00:39:01.250 --> 00:39:08.929 time a believer sins. Every time a believer gives 00:39:08.929 --> 00:39:14.309 in to temptation, or they openly commit transgression 00:39:14.309 --> 00:39:18.070 against the living God, the reason they are doing 00:39:18.070 --> 00:39:23.070 that is because they are believing a lie in some 00:39:23.070 --> 00:39:28.389 way. They're caving to the truth in some capacity. 00:39:28.909 --> 00:39:33.650 It's convincing you that this is better than 00:39:33.650 --> 00:39:40.239 God. That this is better than Christ. It's a 00:39:40.239 --> 00:39:45.139 lie. It's not true. So the believer who knows 00:39:45.139 --> 00:39:49.099 the truth, who girds their minds with truth, 00:39:49.260 --> 00:39:53.059 can come to sin, can come to temptation, and 00:39:53.059 --> 00:39:55.840 they know the truth, and they can say, no, God 00:39:55.840 --> 00:40:01.699 is better. Christ is more beautiful. Christ is 00:40:01.699 --> 00:40:05.420 more enjoyable. Christ is greater and more supreme 00:40:05.420 --> 00:40:08.980 than anything I can enjoy or experience in this 00:40:08.980 --> 00:40:14.500 moment right now. They must know the truth so 00:40:14.500 --> 00:40:20.360 that they can see the deceitfulness of sin. But 00:40:20.360 --> 00:40:26.300 also, and this may be the most helpful, I believe, 00:40:26.440 --> 00:40:33.719 it enables the believer to utilize the rest Of 00:40:33.719 --> 00:40:40.440 the armor that God has given to them. Because 00:40:40.440 --> 00:40:44.699 this is foundational. That means that everything 00:40:44.699 --> 00:40:50.500 else in a sense is dependent on it. That man 00:40:50.500 --> 00:40:54.780 earlier that we were illustrating. Imagine him 00:40:54.780 --> 00:40:58.000 having his long flowing tunic out and about. 00:40:58.219 --> 00:41:01.900 And putting on his armor around him. He's going 00:41:01.900 --> 00:41:04.000 to have the armor but he's going to put his sword 00:41:04.000 --> 00:41:05.980 in and it's going to stab through his tunic and 00:41:05.980 --> 00:41:07.539 then all of a sudden he's going to go and fight 00:41:07.539 --> 00:41:11.539 and he's going to slice his leg. Because he did 00:41:11.539 --> 00:41:16.599 not gird his loins. The same is true with regards 00:41:16.599 --> 00:41:21.880 to the armor that God has given to us. We cannot 00:41:21.880 --> 00:41:26.679 look to the righteousness of Christ if we don't 00:41:26.679 --> 00:41:31.300 understand the righteousness of Christ. Brothers 00:41:31.300 --> 00:41:34.739 and sisters, we cannot lift the shield of faith 00:41:34.739 --> 00:41:39.880 if our faith is not set on truth. We cannot wield 00:41:39.880 --> 00:41:45.820 the sword of the Spirit if we don't know the 00:41:45.820 --> 00:41:52.820 Word of God. In a sense, all of them depend and 00:41:52.820 --> 00:41:57.739 are built on the truth. The devil's playground. 00:41:59.460 --> 00:42:07.619 is falsehoods, error, deceit, and lies. Brothers 00:42:07.619 --> 00:42:11.300 and sisters, that's where he plays. That's where 00:42:11.300 --> 00:42:15.900 he swings. That's where he jumps. And that is 00:42:15.900 --> 00:42:20.460 where he climbs. That is where he hangs on to. 00:42:22.420 --> 00:42:26.820 So the people of God must be people of the truth. 00:42:28.590 --> 00:42:31.869 The devil doesn't get his hands around truth. 00:42:33.469 --> 00:42:37.570 Nothing in him is about the truth. Read John 00:42:37.570 --> 00:42:41.949 8 and Jesus talking to the Jews. He talks about 00:42:41.949 --> 00:42:44.630 how the devil is a father of lies and there is 00:42:44.630 --> 00:42:49.230 no truth in him. That he acts and speaks in accordance 00:42:49.230 --> 00:42:55.489 with his own nature. Deceit, malice, lies, hatred. 00:42:56.880 --> 00:43:00.980 So, brothers and sisters, if we are to combat 00:43:00.980 --> 00:43:04.679 the schemes of our enemy, it must be with what? 00:43:05.519 --> 00:43:09.380 Truth. If we are to combat and defend against 00:43:09.380 --> 00:43:15.840 the arrows and against the falsehoods of the 00:43:15.840 --> 00:43:21.380 enemy, it must be with what? Truth. Truth defends 00:43:21.380 --> 00:43:28.949 against the father of lies. the deceiver. Truth 00:43:28.949 --> 00:43:36.789 combats false doctrine and error. We must be 00:43:36.789 --> 00:43:39.730 people of the truth.