Sermon: The Breastplate...a
sermon about Righteousness
by Chris Cumming
At the Feast of Tabernacles, Mr. Armstrong gave a sermon, in which he asked, “Are we involved in the Work Jesus gave to the disciples?”
He spent the balance of the sermon showing how God goes about bringing disciples to the Work and how He prunes and winnows the flock to insure that the Work is done.
One of the scriptures he quoted was in 1 Peter
1 Peter 4:16-18
16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
Interesting question…just what does this scripture mean?
…the righteous scarcely saved.
Who are the righteous? What is righteousness?
How does one become righteous? What are the elements of righteousness?
How does righteousness work? How do we recognize it when we see it?
Why is righteousness called a breastplate? Why is this a piece of our spiritual armor.
Today, we will explore these questions as I encourage all of us to… put on righteousness.
…put on the breastplate of righteousness.
First of all, what is a breastplate? A breastplate is a piece of armor. In fact, it is part of our spiritual armor.
Ephesians 6: 14 says...
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness.
As you remember from the sermon we had on the armor of God, the breastplate is a defensive piece of armor. It is one which is always worn while on the battlefield.
It is something we see between the person wearing it and the outside world. That is to say, if you are wearing your armor and I am looking at you; what I see is the armor.
The point is, the spiritual armor we have does not originate with us. It is a gift of God. The armor is His.
God is the author of righteousness. He gives us righteousness as a gift. It works like a breastplate. It protects us from evil.
When people see our armor, they see the righteousness of God. When we look at each other, we see the holiness of God and NOT the human elements or sin.
Since this is the breastplate of righteousness, we need to define righteousness.
1)---from a dictionary
a. Morally upright; without guilt or sin.
b. In accordance with virtue or morality.
c. Morally justifiable: righteous anger.
2)---from a Bible Dictionary
The Hebrew word for righteousness is tseh'-dek, tzedek, Gesenius's Strong's
Concordance: 6664—righteous, integrity, equity, justice, straightness. The root
of tseh'-dek is tsaw-dak', Gesenius's Strong: 6663—upright, just, straight,
innocent, true, sincere. It is best understood as the product of upright, moral
action in accordance of divine plan.
3)---from a Thesaurus-Synonyms
devotion, devoutness, godliness, holiness, piety, probity religiosity,
religiousness, reverence, sacredness, saintliness, spirituality, worship, zeal
“Probity” = adherence to the highest principles and ideals.
4)---from a Thesaurus-Antonyms
abomination, baseness, crime, evildoing, heinousness, immorality, improbity,
infamy, injustice, misdeed, offense, sinfulness, unfairness, unrighteousness,
wickedness, wrong, wrongdoing
“Improbity” = adherence to the lowest principles and ideals
Let us now look at the Word of God…
1) God is righteous:
Psalm 119:137
Righteous art thou, O LORD, and upright are thy judgments.
2) Christ is righteous and His righteousness is transferred to us in the form of a breastplate.
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
30 But of (or by) him (God) are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
Our righteousness and wisdom is Jesus Christ in us.
3) Observing the commandments and manifesting Godly principles are righteousness.
Deuteronomy 6:22-25
22 And the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes:
23 And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.
24 And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.
25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us.
4) Speaking the truth is righteousness.
Proverbs 12:17
He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit.
5) Obedience to God is righteousness.
Romans 6:16-7:1
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 7:1
Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?
6) Righteousness is everlasting in God, the Father, Jesus Christ and eventually all of you.
Psalm 119:142-144
142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.
143 Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights.
144 The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live (everlastingly).
WHAT DOES RIGHTEOUSNESS DO?
Proverbs 13:6
Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.
Proverbs 10:2-3
2 Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivereth from death.
3 The LORD will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish: but he casteth away the substance of the wicked.
Proverbs 11:18-21
18 The wicked worketh a deceitful work: but to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward.
19 As righteousness tendeth to life: so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death.
20 They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight.
21 Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.
Proverbs 11:4-11
4 Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.
5 The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them: but transgressors shall be taken in their own naughtiness.
7 When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth.
8 The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead.
9 An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.
10 When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth: and when the wicked perish, there is shouting.
11 By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
Let us recap what we just read here:
1) Righteousness keeps us in the salvation process
2) Righteousness delivers us from death
3) Our righteousness determines our reward.
WHAT DOES OUR DOCTRINE SAY?
I took a look into the main Doctrinal Statements of the church and found these important elements regarding Righteousness.
LAW OF GOD
The one who has been forgiven much is also the one who is grateful for much. He may not be as likely to take God's mercy for granted as the one who thinks that he has never really sinned all that much. The one who has been close to death appreciates life more than the one who has always had health and safety. Self-righteousness is perhaps the worst spiritual malady, and it tends to be bred in an environment of constant attention to outward forms of righteousness.
Note: Self-righteousness is the worst spiritual malady. It leaves one without the breastplate of Jesus Christ.
SIN
One with God's Spirit is under no "condemnation" whatsoever in spite of the fact that he must still wrestle, against sin and may on occasion succumb to sin (cf. Romans 7; 8:1). Such a converted person is not counted as a "sinner" although he may indeed sin out of weakness. He is rather looked upon by God as "holy" (Colossians 3:12) because God imputes His righteousness to him through faith (Romans 4). Only one who has had the burden of the penalty of sin completely lifted from his shoulders and has experienced the deep exhilaration of knowing that his every sin has been totally forgiven and forgotten by God can fully appreciate David's statement, "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin" (Romans 4:7-8; Psalm 32:1-2). Such a person has been given the "joy and gladness" which comes from having peace with God (Psalm 51:8). A forgiven Christian knows he need not feel hopeless if he sins in weakness, because God looks upon the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). He realizes that God hates sin but loves the sinners enough to have sent His only Son as their Savior. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
A Christian is one whose whole outlook and frame of mind is in the process of transformation from "carnal" to “spiritual." When one rises from baptismal waters he becomes a "new man" by taking on a whole new spiritual lifestyle, created after the likeness of God in “true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). Whereas before his conversion he armed himself to face life with his own pride, ego, strength and intellect alone, the true Christian now adds the "whole armor" of God—the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Word of God (Ephesians 6:13-17).
Note:
1) Sin has no power in the salvation process
2) God looks upon us as Holy.
3) God imputes His righteousness unto us as in a coat of armor.
4) God does not impute unto us any sin, if fact, His armor, His righteousness COVERS our sins.
Proverbs 10:12 says…
Proverbs 10:12
Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
We covereth the sins of our brothers by acknowledging and seeing only the armor and the righteousness of God in and on our brothers in the Process of Salvation.
5) By the death of Jesus are we able to have this armor and righteousness of God.
REPENTANCE
In the process of seeing himself, a person comes to realize that the human "heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9). Since sin is ultimately of the mind, he also begins to understand that even his own righteousness, which in an unconverted person is invariably motivated by selfishness, is only a "dirty rag," as it were, in God's sight (Isaiah 64:6). When an individual repents, he must compare his righteousness to God's righteousness and not to that of other human beings. When man compares himself to God—and with God's help sees himself as he really is—he is astonished at his own sinfulness and inadequacy.
1) With God’s Spirit, we are to compare ourselves with God’s breastplate of righteousness.
2) God will help us to see OUR sins.
3) The sins of others is irrelevant to our righteousness.
4) We need not compare ourselves to others—only God.
THE CHRISTIAN RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
In the same way that prayer can be defined as communication with God, so can Bible study be defined as God's communication to man through His written Word (Hebrews 1:1). The Bible is God's instruction book on how man should live his life. It is also the record of how God has dealt with men and mankind in the past, and how God wants human beings to respond and react to Him. The Bible is the handbook to salvation, the textbook of eternal life. Certainly no Christian could say he knows God if he has not read about God in God's Holy Word. He must learn to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). While the Bible may be and should be studied from different angles and points of view (e.g., in a. technical manner to understand doctrine), the most important Bible study for a Christian is to humbly approach God's Word to learn how he might more perfectly live his life before his Creator. A Christian studies the Bible with the full recognition that God is instructing him that he must personally apply biblical laws, precepts, principles and directives in his daily life. A true Christian seeks "training in righteousness," and this can often come about only through correction of error; consequently, the true Christian must search the Bible for God's correction in his life. As Paul wrote to Timothy: "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
1) The Bible is the mind of God and is His guidebook for the Salvation Process.
2) One must immerse him or herself into the Word of God to understand and put on the breastplate of Righteousness.
3) We must rightly divide the Word of God.
4) We must Correct ourselves with the Word of God.
5) A true Christian seeks "training in righteousness.
KINGDOM OF GOD
Christ shall judge with "righteousness" and "decide with equity for the meek of the earth"—Indeed the whole earth shall be dramatically altered by the rulership of Jesus Christ.
1) Christ will rule by means of the same Salvation process.
2) Everyone will have the Spirit of God.
3) Everyone will have the Righteousness of God.
4) By this Righteousness, we will rule in the Kingdom of God forever.
IN WHAT WAY DOES GOD WANT US TO SEEK HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS?
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Let me illustrate what this means…
In the Antarctic summer of 1908-9, Sir Ernest Shackleton and three companions attempted to travel to the South Pole from their winter quarters. They set off with four ponies to help carry the load.
Weeks later, their ponies dead, rations all but exhausted, they turned back toward their base, their goal not accomplished.
Altogether, they trekked 127 days. On the return journey, as Shackleton records in The Heart of the Antarctic, the time was spent talking about food -- elaborate feasts, gourmet delights, sumptuous menus. As they staggered along, suffering from dysentery, not knowing whether they would survive, every waking hour was occupied with thoughts of eating. Jesus, who also knew the ravages of food deprivation, said,
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for RIGHTEOUSNESS." We can understand Shackleton's obsession with food, which offers a glimpse of the passion Jesus intends for our quest for righteousness.
Let us conclude this matter…
Ephesians 6:11-17
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 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.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
If we do these things, if we put on the breastplate of righteousness, we can live with this absolute promise of God…
Proverbs 21:21
He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.
Let us go up now unto the Kingdom of God.