1. In this Sermon Series,
we will be exploring "the full armor of God" that is described in Ephesians 6, why each piece is needed, and
how to better live a victorious Christian life in a world full of darkness.

2. “Truth and Chicken”

3. Ephesians 6: 13-14a
13  “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything,
to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the
belt of truth buckled around your waist”

4. An average citizen would have a loincloth, an undergarment
(long baggy shirt),
and a cloak that
they would wear.
Soldiers would additionally have armor and weaponry to carry.
Their belts kept all of this “stuff” together.

5. For military officers, the belt also served
to hold the bottom of breastplate in place,
and also to hold the sheath for the sword.
If the belt was not securely in place,
you would not be prepared for battle.
The belt needs to be trustworthy
otherwise the rest of the armor is useless.
In the same way…if our trustworthiness
and integrity is inconsistent, our ability to
be “on mission” for Jesus and to withstand Satan’s attacks is greatly damaged.

6. Interestingly enough, the "loins" or "waist"
In ancient times, the “bowels” (not the heart or mind) were also the area that were considered ‘the seat of emotions.’
Interestingly enough, the "loins" or "waist"
are also the area of the body that
the reproductive organs are found.
Needless to say, then, having proper protection in these areas was a big priority.

7. If Satan can attack us through our emotions, we will be much more willing to go along with sinful thoughts and temptations; regardless of our desire for “truth”.
When our truthful witness for Jesus falls away…we will struggle to “reproduce” disciples as He has called us to.

8. in the end, be crucified. That Man DID appear.
Three hundred years before Jesus, Plato predicted that if ever the truly good man were to appear, the man who would tell the truth, he would have his eyes gouged out and
in the end, be crucified. That Man DID appear.
He told the world the truth about itself
and even made the preposterous claim:
"I am the Truth."
As Plato foresaw, the Man was crucified.

9. John 14:6
John 18: 37-38
37 … Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. 
Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate.

10. John 8: 31-32
31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to
my teaching, you are really
my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

11. John 8: 44-45 44 “You belong to your father, the devil, and
you want to carry out your father’s desires. 
He was a murderer from the beginning,
not holding to the truth, for there is no truth
in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father
of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, 
you do not believe me!”

12. We can see Satan’s attacks during our time
in the post-modern concept of relativism.
We live in an age of no absolutes. It is the predominant philosophical thought taught
in our education system today. Peter Singer,
an ethics professor at Princeton and arguably the most influential modern philosopher, teaches that bestiality is not morally wrong
(as long as it doesn’t hurt the animal), and neither is killing infants with disabilities.

13. John 16:13 John 17: 17-19 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes,
He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.”
John 17: 17-19
17 “Sanctify them by the truth; Your Word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”

14. as individuals and defines us in our relationships.
Ephesians
4: 14-15, 25
Truth
protects us
as individuals and defines us in our relationships.

15. “I believe that being girded … with truth primarily has to do with the self–discipline of total commitment. It is the committed Christian, just as it is the committed soldier and the committed athlete, who is prepared… To be content with mediocrity, lethargy, indifference, and half–heartedness is to fail to be armored with the belt of God’s truth and to leave oneself exposed
to Satan’s schemes.”
- John MacArthur

16. be seen plainly that what they have done has been done through God.”
John 3:21
“Whoever lives
by the truth
comes into
the light,
so that it may
be seen plainly that what they have done has been done through God.”