Class Outline:

Sunday April 24,2022

Title: Ephesians 6:13-17; The belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness make for a warrior-poet eager to save others.

 

The belt of truth and breastplate of righteousness make for a warrior-poet eager to save others.

 

The wise and righteous soldier is not a mercenary with only his one self-interest in mind. He or she is wise and strong and righteous with the mind and righteousness of Jesus Christ who came to seek and to save the lost. The Christian soldier knows his true enemy and seeks to snatch from the fire as many as he can and so he is swift and indefatigable in bringing the gospel to those in need and happy in proclaiming it.

 

First we quickly review the belt and breastplate.

 

EPH 6:14-15

Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

 

“gird your loins” - make ready for battle with the truth. Application of truth to all areas of life, constantly adding to your knowledge by reading and study.

 

The breastplate covers the torso, front and back on a Roman soldier, protecting vital organs. We might feel propelled to therefore conclude that righteousness is more important than the rest, but that would not be proper exegesis for two obvious reasons. First, Paul describes the breastplate as faith and love in 1TH 5:8. Second, God’s attributes, though we separate them for our own comprehension, are one in Him, meaning that no one of them stands apart from the rest as ruler or more important.

 

God’s righteousness can only be had as a gift through faith in Christ (ROM 3:21-26). Possessing God’s righteousness, and through study, application, contemplation, and prayer, learning what it is, we live righteously - we live day by day as the new selves that God has made.

 

EPH 4:22-24

in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

 

Righteousness is the character of doing what is right and just in all areas of life and with all people and situations. Both truth and righteousness are gifts from God.

 

Like our Lord, we are warrior poets, strong and gracious, stubborn and understanding, courageous and merciful. And this leads right into the gospel of peace.

 

Psa 45 is about a son of a king who is a warrior poet. The second part of the psalm is about his marriage and the blessedness of his bride. This is a part of the gospel of peace that is the shoes of the armor. Truth, righteousness, and the gospel work together in us to not only make us strong to stand firm, but to also make us swift to bring the good news of the gospel to the suffering, even if we have to climb mountains to do it.

 

This is a psalm without any lament as well as the joyful occasion of a wedding - a royal wedding.

 

PSA 45:1-2

For the choir director; according to the Shoshannim. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A Song of Love.

 

1 My heart overflows with a good theme [gladness of good news];

I address my verses to the King;

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

2 Thou art fairer than the sons of men;

Grace is poured upon Thy lips;

Therefore God has blessed Thee forever.

 

The heart of the writer of the psalm overflows with a good theme, or as the word gospel (euaggelion) transliterates to = good news. It is the greatest theme, for it is of the Son of God.

 

We don’t normally describe men as fair in our culture, but the word would mean to us someone of beautiful or striking appearance, and this king is more so than any other.

 

The King is fairer than all and grace is upon His lips, referring to what he has to say. His speech, His words are dripping with grace. They are beautiful.

 

Opening line of the third Servant Song:

 

ISA 50:4

The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples,

That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.

 

This is a part of Him, His armor, that is passed on to us. It is our feet shod with the gospel of peace. The truth and righteousness in us makes us able to climb mountains to give the good news to the weary.

 

LUK 4:22

And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips;

 

PSA 45:2

Thou art fairer than the sons of men;

Grace is poured upon Thy lips;

Therefore God has blessed Thee forever.

 

Beauty is denoted as the reason for the blessing being known or recognized, not as a reason why the king should be blessed. “Therefore” can be “because” only in that it is clearer in showing that the king’s appearance and demeanor were the blessing.

 

"therefore (because) you are blessed" - we see His beauty and gracious words and know He is blessed. Abiding divinity is witnessed by perfect humanity.

 

When the Lord was on earth during His first advent, He did not present a physical beauty. “He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him” (ISA 53:2) However, His words were easily recognized as beautiful. “And they were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (MAR 1:22) During the incarnation of the Son of God, God revealed His truth while He hid the physical beauty and strength of the Son of God.

 

ISA 49:2

And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword;

In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me,

And He has also made Me a select arrow;

He has hidden Me in His quiver.

 

As we will see, this aspect of Christ, His not so stately appearance coupled with His amazing words is a characteristic that has been given to us and falls right into the armor as the feet shod with the gospel of peace.”

 

The Lamb of God is also the Lion of Judah.

 

He is a poet. And, He is also a fierce warrior.

 

PSA 45:3-7

Gird Thy sword on

Thy thigh, O Mighty One, In Thy splendor and Thy majesty!

4 And in Thy majesty ride on victoriously,

For the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;

Let Thy right hand teach Thee awesome things.

5 Thine arrows are sharp;

The peoples fall under Thee;

Thine arrows are in the heart of the King's enemies.

 

6 Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever;

A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Thy kingdom.

7 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness;

Therefore God, Thy God, has anointed Thee

With the oil of joy above Thy fellows.

 

Splendor and majesty speak of the brilliancy of divine glory. This is to shine through us as well.

 

He rides forth (vs. 4) into battle in the most noble cause - truth, meekness, and righteousness. Only God’s kingdom would fight for meekness.

 

When the kingdoms of this world make war and they say it is for a true and righteous cause (I mean invasion and not defense) they mean their own version of the truth and their own idea of righteousness. For certainly, no one tries to conquer for meekness. But in God’s kingdom, truth and righteousness seeks to save the lost, not destroy them and take their stuff.

 

Power divorced from justice cannot endure.

 

Putting meekness together with righteousness and truth forces us to find their true meaning. They are not of this world.

 

He fights for meekness. The crown of the first advent was thorns and His scepter a reed that was used by His subjects to pummel Him. He came to establish truth, righteousness, and meekness in our world, and He did it through the cross.

 

JOH 18:36

“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting,”

 

JOH 18:37

"You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."