STANDING STRONG IN THE BATTLE FOR TRUTH “Truth is relative. There are no absolutes. Truth is what you make it.”

VBS: Day 3

Lesson Focus Put on the breastplate of righteousness and the shoes of peace.

A little Bit About the Middle Ages ( ) The Kingdom Chronicles: The Church & The Monks

The Logic of Medieval Life The basic logic of life in the middle ages is relatively simple. It was a time in which life was short, even for those who died of “natural” causes.

Security of Body and Soul The medieval person desired two securities: of the body and of the soul. In order to obtain these it was necessary to give up either bodily or spiritual freedoms.

The Church Supreme The church like many monarchial leaders took advantage of people The middle ages were filled with attempts to make the church more powerful. The church became highly politicized and strayed away from the truth. They used the tools of Sacraments, Indulgences and Penitence

New Religious Orders From the mid 11 th century to the mid 12 th century a wave of religious enthusiasm swept through Europe. Many men and women joined monasteries and convents. This increase in religious activity led to the formation of new holy orders. Several new monastic groups emerged which would shape the church.

Convents for Women The church was an intellectual haven for women. It was one of the few areas where women could get an education. Convents also became popular places for women who were unable or unwilling to marry.

The Cistercians Monks This order was founded by a group of monks who believed that the Benedictine orders were not well disciplined. This group was strict, they ate a simple diet and had only a single robe. They removed all decorations from their churches and buildings and split their time between prayer and manual labor. They weren’t allowed to speak unless absolutely necessary.

The Franciscan Monks – The Franciscan order was founded by Francis of Assisi. He was a widely admired figure of the Middle Ages for his humility and spiritual work. – The son of a wealthy merchant, he lived a bit of a wild youth and had a religious conversion in his early 20s. – Francis gave up all of his material possessions and began to teach to the poor.

The Dominican Order The Dominican Order was founded by a Spanish priest named Dominic de Guzman. Dominic believed in a vow of poverty, like the Franciscans, he believed; however, that poverty was a way to attract converts and save heretics. He saw the true mission of his order to end heresy, or beliefs that went against the Catholic Church. The Dominicans were proud of their nickname “Hounds of God,” as they were watchdogs of the Catholic faith.

Obey Truth!

‘Truth’ dictates to ‘tolerance’ the way we should live. ‘Tolerance’ dictates to ‘truth,’ adjust to ‘opinion.’

When we make “tolerance” our standard, we set ourselves up as gods, determining on our own which views and practices are acceptable and which are not.

The reality of changing behavior does NOT mean that moral absolutes have changed.

Is there such a thing as ‘right’ or ‘wrong,’ or is this notion simply a relative question that varies from individual to individual.

Without Moral Absolutes: Nothing can be considered FAIR Nothing can be considered JUST Nothing can be considered RIGHT

There are several moral absolutes and universal values that govern the behavior of all humanity, regardless of culture and regardless of history.

You Can’t Kill Whoever You Want You Can’t Torture Little Children for Fun You Can’t Take Another Man’s Wife

So ask yourself the question: What is the Source of Our Universal Value Systems?

(1) There is an Absolute Moral Law (2) Every Law Has a Law Giver (3) There is an Absolute Law Giver (4) The Absolute Law Giver is God

Psalm 119:160 “The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.”

What do I do with that truth? Do I obey God’s word? (The Breastplate) Do I share that truth? (The shoes of Peace)

The Breastplate of Righteousness

Ephesians 6:10-11; “ 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”

Knights knew that it was important to protect their hearts and other vital organs from harm during battle.

The breastplate covered the knight from his neck down to at least his waist.

1. We can no sooner battle against spiritual enemies in our own righteousness than a soldier can effectively fight without his breastplate.

2. We can no sooner battle against spiritual enemies unless we are living a life of righteousness, than a soldier can effectively fight without his breastplate.

The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace

Josephus described them as ‘shoes thickly studded with sharp nails’... so as to ensure a good grip.

The idea of preparation is - we must be mobile, flexible, ready with the truth.

Romans 10:15 “And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!“”

The feet speak of activity, motion, and progress, and those who are active and moving in the work of preaching the gospel have beautiful feet!

2 Kings King Josiah

Josiah is crowned king at the age of 8 (1-2) -The nation was not obeying God’s commands -The temple was falling apart -The Law (truth) was lost

Josiah cleans the temple at age 18 (3-10) -King Josiah sends Shaphan to repair the temple -Hilkiah the priest at the temple found the Book of the Law (v. 8)

Josiah hears the Book of the Law (11-20) -Shaphan reads the book to Josiah and makes commitment to live according to the truth -Josiah tears his clothes and weeps because both he and the nation had not obeyed the words of the Lord.

Josiah proclaims the truth to the nation (23:1-3) -Josiah gathered the entire nation and read the Book of the Law to them -The people committed their lives to the truth

What do I do with the truth? Do I obey God’s word? (The Breastplate) Do I share that truth? (The shoes of Peace)