A very simple thought tonight and one that we for the most part are very familiar with: God desires us to be transparent with Him; to not hide or hold back any part of ourselves from Him. The things we try to hide from Him create walls and barriers in our relationship, not only with Him but with others as well.

Psalm 51:6

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. KJV

Inward parts – seat of the mind and thoughts

Hidden part – the most secret part

To know – perceive, acquire knowledge

Wisdom – wisdom/skill

Jesus desires us to be truthful with Him, right from the very center of our being.

Luke 18:9-14

And He spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:  Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortionist, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.  I fast twice in a week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

We often recognize this passage of scripture as a lesson of humility and arrogance. But, looking a little deeper we realize there’s more to it than that. The publican didn’t try to hide the fact that he was a sinner, he made no excuse or attempt to mask his true identity. The Pharisee, instead of dealing with what he really was, looked for faults in others to point out. He tried to hide what was really in his heart by attempting to only show certain parts. So, he wasn’t an adulterer.  Perhaps he was trying to justify his own immoral thoughts about women, by saying at least he didn’t commit the act of adultery.   Bottom line, he was trying to hide parts of himself. The publican freely expressed, without excuse, “this is me”. 

A personal example is when I was a teenager there were a couple of moments I specifically remember wanting to hit my mom.  Now both of my brothers had actually tried to and it did not end well for them.  If I were the Pharisee in the above story, I would have said something like, “God, I’ve never hit my mom, I honor my parents.”  If you look at just the surface, then this appears true. But, the fact is, the truth in the hidden parts was that I was so angry at my mom, I thought I hated her. I probably even said so in my own head. I remember visualizing what it would be like to hit her.  If I were the publican in the story, I would have said, “oh God! Forgive me from these terrible thoughts!”

(Just fyi, my mom and I have a great relationship. I’m so thankful. That teenage frustration against a parent is long gone.)

Proverbs 20:27

The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.  KJV

Spirit – the Spirit of God imparting life and wisdom

Candle – a figurative lamp

Searching – to seek out

Inward parts – a chamber, innermost

Belly – the hollow, empty

It’s not as if God doesn’t already know everything about us, because truly He does. The life giving spirit, our breath that comes from God; the Bible says acts like a lamp into our very innermost part and searches us.

Genesis 3:7-10

And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Did not God already know that Adam and Eve were naked? It’s not as if it was news to Him like it was to them.  It’s not that God doesn’t already know everything about us; but it’s about how we share or hide ourselves from Him. In Adam’s case, it says he was afraid and hid himself. We have no need to fear. If our secrets are safe in anyone’s ears, it’s God’s.  It’s not that He doesn’t already know all about us. But He desires that we share ourselves with Him, to be honest with Him about who we truly are, in the innermost part of our being, that part perhaps no one else knows about.

I often pray, and hope it never changes; “oh God search me and know me, don’t let there be any part of me that I hold back from you. If there’s a part of me that I’m with holding, please show me so that I can confess and make things right again. Truly, You desire truth from the inside out.”  I’ve memorized portions of this scripture and incorporate them into my prayers.

Psalm 139 

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

    you discern my thoughts from afar.

 You search out my path and my lying down

    and are acquainted with all my ways.

Where shall I go from your Spirit?

    Or where shall I flee from your presence?

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.^[a]

Wonderful are your works;

    my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

    the days that were formed for me,

    when as yet there was none of them.

 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

 How vast is the sum of them!

Search me, O God, and know my heart!

    Try me and know my thoughts!

And see if there be any grievous way in me,

    and lead me in the way everlasting!

Last thought I want to leave with you tonight. According to online dictionary:

Transparent: 1. Allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be distinctly seen. (transparent with others)

2. Easy to perceive or detect. (transparent with God)

Section 1 – What people say and think about God 

Exodus 5:2    (no God)

Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD,  that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” 

^^^Agh! The arrogance! Can’t you hear it?!?

Psalm 14:1 & 53:1

The fool hath said in his heart, “There is no God.”

Mark 10:35   (genie in a bottle)

And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 

Matthew 25:14-30   (cruel or someone to hide from)

Parable of the Talents – Only the last servant said the master was a hard man. The other two servants did not share his opinion of the master, they were able to partake of the master’s joy!  The master ended up treating the wicked servant harsh, just like what the servant thought of him. His thoughts of the master became his reality. 

Genesis 3:10  

And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Matthew 16:13-19      (a prophet, something to gawk at, come see the miraculous)

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”  And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

^^^Think about it! Even to this day many Jews and even Muslims say that Jesus was just a prophet. But, on the other hand, the man that had the true revelation of Jesus became the first preacher of the early church and his message is still what is looked to to understand the born again message Jesus spoke of in John 3! 🙂

Acts 9:5     (Lord, or so we think)

And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

^^^Paul thought he knew who God was, but when he had a face to face encounter with his Lord, he realized he didn’t really know and he needed to ask and find out!

Psalm 18:25-26    (what we need/want) 

With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. 

^^^I love this verse because it truly demonstrates that God will make Himself seem to be what we think.

People can say all sorts of things about God. Doesn’t mean they’re true. Yet, God will allow our own mind to determine our reality of God. Even being in the church for 26 years, God has shown me so much these past few years that what I thought was true about Him, really wasn’t. Oh! And I’m so thankful!!! Because, truly, I just want to know Him!

Section 2 – God’s Heartbeat!

Genesis 2:7  

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 

^^^This is intimate. No other part of creation involved this level of intimacy. 

Genesis 6:5-6  

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. 

Grieved = to worry, to pain, to anger, to displease, grieve, hurt, make or be sorry

^^^This so pierced my heart the first time God “showed” me this. Oh, how my heart broke for God!! His most beautiful and prized creation had turned away from Him and chose wickedness.

And yet, still, He gave them a 100 year window of opportunity to return to Him. It took Noah 100 years to build the ark and we know he talked to people during that time. This is not the work of a genocidal god, but a loving, compassionate, full of mercy Father/God/Creator. <3 

Genesis 12:1-3  

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.  And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 

^^^It’s not written in the black and white here, but reading between the lines, God was longing to be a Father to His creation again. To enter into a covenant, intimate relationship with His creation. 

Exodus 25:8 

(The LORD spoke to Moses) “And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” 

^^^This was not man’s idea, this was God’s. Can you not see/feel His heartbeat for His most valued and beautiful creation!?!?!?

Too many to count and name instances in the Old Testament where God came through for His people in a HUGE way! Constantly returning to them, after they had forsaken Him so. many. times!

Luke 13:34 (read with much inflection)

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 

^^^Again, can’t you hear the cry of God’s heart?!? 

Hebrews 11:16

Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God.

Section 3 – “God is not who you say He is. God is who He says He is!”

A father of the fatherless – Psalm 68:5    (to be lonely, a bereaved person, orphan. Applies spiritually too)

The father of all them that believe – Romans 4:11   (to have faith, credit:entrust, commit to trust)

The father of mercies – 2 Corinthians 1:3   (pity, mercy)

The father of glory – Ephesians 1:17   (dignity, honor, glory, praise, worship)

One God/Father of all – Ephesians 4:6   (all, every, any, the whole)

Father of spirits – Hebrews 12:9   (current of air, breath)

Father of lights – James 1:17   (to shine or make manifest)

Parable of the Prodigal Son: Luke 15:11-32

*20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his Father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 

^^^What an amazing picture of the love of the Father!!

Matthew 7:11 

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

James 1:17  

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 

“God is…”

• with you
• not a man
• a consuming fire
• a jealous God
• faithful
• in your midst
• He who goes with you to fight your enemies
• your dwelling place
• among you
• greater than all other gods
• gracious and merciful
• for good on all who seek Him
• greater than man
• Mighty
• Exalted
• Great
• Clothed with awesome majesty
• A righteous judge
• With the generation of the righteous
• The Lord
• Refuge and strength
• King of all the earth
• My helper
• For me
• Our salvation
• Good to those who are pure in heart
• Strength of my heart
• My Portion forever
• A sun and shield
• Holy
• In the heavens
• Merciful
• My song
• An everlasting rock
• Righteous in all His works
• Able
• Greater
• Near
• True
• Spirit
• For us
• Wiser than men
• Stronger than men
• Really among you
• Not of confusion
• Of peace
• Good
• Not unjust
• Not ashamed to be called our GOD!
• One
• Light
• Perfect
• Greater than our heart
• LOVE
• He who formed you
• Redeemed you
• Called you by name
• Your savior
• Loves you

The Lord is…

• In this place
• In the right
• My strength and song
• My banner
• Holy
• With us
• Slow to anger
• Abounding in steadfast love
• Mighty
• Peace
• A God of knowledge
• My rock, fortress, deliverer
• Righteous
• Able to give you much more than this
• Stronghold for the oppressed
• Stronghold in times of trouble
• Refuge
• My chosen portion and my cup
• Perfect
• Sure
• Pure
• Clean
• My shepherd
• For those who fear Him
• My light and salvation
• Stronghold of my life
• Powerful
• Full of majesty
• Upright
• Good!
• Against those who do evil
• Near to the brokenhearted
• Upholder of my life
• Gracious
• Love from everlasting to everlasting
• At my right hand
• On my side
• My helper
• To be praised
• My portion
• My keeper
• Good, great, high
• Faithful
• Kind in all his works
• Near to all those who call on Him
• Hears the prayers of the right
• Safe
• Our righteousness
• Near
• Slow to anger
• Great in power
• Compassionate and merciful
• Not slow to fulfill His promise

Jesus is/has…

• Lord
• Revealed from heaven
• Able to do
• The bread of life
• I AM
• Will be with you
• Here
• Door of the sheep
• The resurrection and the life
• The way
• The truth
• The life
• Unwilling to send them away hungry
• Working
• The first and the last
• Alive forevermore
• Alpha and omega
• The almighty
• The beginning and the end
• Compassion
• Savior
• God with us

Back in May of 2014, I remember Pastor preaching a couple of services and talking about miracles. You know, we all love the idea of miracles, when God comes through in amazing unbelievable ways! We do. But, as Pastor preached, he talked about miracles only happen for those who need them. We can’t expect God to work miracles in our own lives, if we have no need for one. I so vividly remember these messages, because I remember thinking I had no need of one.  Little did I know, 2 short months later I found myself in the most devastating situation I’ve had to date. At this point in time, I desperately needed a miracle! And, Jesus came through for me in a HUGE way. Not everything in my situation changed overnight, or even over the past three years, but what changed was me. He truly became my counselor, my comforter, my strong tower, my life-line, my healer, my rock, my shield, my dwelling place. And, just so you don’t think it’s only inwardly He works miraculously, He has worked miraculously in the natural/tangible realm as well for me. I can truly say, HE IS AMAZING!!! I stand in awe of HIM! 

Psalm 18:1-6 – This may have been written thousands of years ago, but it’s absolutely 100% true for me today. 

“I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.” 

Psalm 91 – *I will say of the LORD* MY refuge, my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 

Exactly what David needed and expected of the Lord is what God made Himself to David. Is it any wonder GOD said of David that he was a  man after God’s own heart! Of course he was. He made God his everything! 

Jeremiah 29:11-14 

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,” declares the LORD

Isaiah 1:18

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord: “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”  

Matthew 9:28-29

When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.”  Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”

I Peter 2:7a KJV – Unto you therefore which believe, HE is precious!

I’ll conclude with these verses:

Malachi 3:10  “Put me to the test!” says the LORD.

I know God in this particular instance was talking about money and substance. However, I have found that it’s God’s desire in all aspects of our lives.

I Thessalonians 5:21 “but test everything; hold fast what is good.”

The old saying is true for me, “you don’t know like I know what He’s done for me!”

“When we put everything in God’s hand, we begin to see God’s hand in everything.” 

Will you let Him be the Father He desires to be to you??

I used to be asked to do mini exhortations often during our Thursday midweek service. These are the notes from one such exhortation.

The definition of Exhort(ation) is:

        – to urge, advise or caution earnestly; admonish urgently

        – an address or communication emphatically urging someone to do something

So, this mini exhortation today is about tables of stone versus tables of flesh (or the human heart).

Exodus 24:12 – “The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.”

This was the beginning of the law in the OT.  It was given for a rather large group of people; perhaps well over 1 million.  I want to focus on the term, “tables of stone” and ask the question, what comes to your mind when you hear “tables of stone”?  

I think : hard, rocky, cold, impersonal, outside the body (indicative of looking at the tables or looking away from them at one’s own leisure).

II Corinthians 3:3 – “..written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

God makes the comparison between tables of stone and tables of the heart.  And that’s what I want to talk a little bit about tonight.  What comes to mind when you hear “tablets of human hearts”?  I think : soft, warm, pliable, personal, inside the body (indicative of not easily turned away from).

Hebrews 8:7 tells us that had the first covenant been faultless there would have been no need for a second.  If you continue reading down through, he draws the parallel between the OT law and the NT new covenant; this “tablets of the heart”.  

Ezekiel prophesied in 11:19-20 that God would give Israel a new heart and a new spirit within them, He would take out the stony heart and give them a heart of flesh. That they would be to Him a people and He would be to them their God. The writer of Hebrews mentioned this prophecy in 8:10. 

Psalm 40:8 reads “I delight to do thy will O my God yea thy law is within my heart.”

Why was David so eager to do the will of God?  He had some insight that not many other Israelites had at this time and that was to put the law into his heart, not just read it on the tables of stone occasionally. 

Psalm 119:11 “I have hid your Word in my heart that I might not sin against thee.”  

I’ve read and even quoted this scripture a ton of times before but just reading it the other day really stuck out to me.  David started the sentence with “I have”, this is something he purposed and worked to do, he took the initiative and he did it for a purpose, so that he would not sin against God.  Did that mean David never did sin? Of course, we all know that yes he did, but as soon as his sin was revealed to him, because God’s laws were hidden in his heart he had the right response, he did the right thing to make things right with God again.  

Bringing it back to the NT, Romans 8:1-5 states, 

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”

“For what the law could not do” – Why couldn’t the law do it?  It was hard, cold, rocky, impersonal, something without the body (to be looked at or ignored at will).  

How are we going to “walk after the Spirit”?  – by allowing God to write on our “fleshly tables of the heart”; by purposing to hide His Word in our hearts; by delighting to do His will, by taking the initiative to act according to His will.  

If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, remember to take it one step at a time and you can start with baby steps.  Ask God to give you a desire to want to put His Word in your heart.  It can start with a very simple request, keep at it though!   

This post is slightly different than others, as I quote some others online. They just stated my thoughts so well.

“After Malachi had ceased his prophesying and the canon of the Old Testament closed — that is, the number of the books in the Old Testament was fulfilled and the inspired prophets ceased to speak — God allowed a period of time for the teachings of the Old Testament to penetrate throughout the world. During this time, he rearranged the scenes of history, much as a stage crew will rearrange the stage sets after the curtain has fallen, and when the curtain rises again there is an entirely new setting.”  – Ray Stedman

Thus we have the setting of Matthew, Mark and Luke’s account of the call of Matthew. 

“Pagan empires around had been deteriorating and disintegrating. Their religions had fallen upon evil days. The people were sick of the polytheism and emptiness of their pagan faiths. The Jews had gone through times of pressure and had failed in their efforts to re-establish themselves, and had given up all hope. There was a growing air of expectancy that the only hope they had left was the coming at last of the promised Messiah. In the East, the oriental empires had come to the place where the wisdom and knowledge of the past had disintegrated and they too were looking for something. When the moment came when the star arose over Bethlehem, the wise men of the East who were looking for an answer to their problems saw it immediately and came out to seek the One it pointed to.” – Ray Stedman

Matthew 9:9-13 

Mark 2:13-17 

Luke 5:27-32 ESV

27  After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.

29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32  I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”

The word “righteous” here not only refers to those who truly are righteous, those who follow God’s laws.  But, it also refers to those who think they are righteous; perhaps following God’s written law, but missing the heart of the law. Basically, what we see in the Pharisees here.

The word “sinner” here, truly does apply to those who just plain sin, that do wrong, but also it means those who are not free from sin.

I believe these are the meanings of what Jesus was trying to say here.  It’s not those who think they are righteous (or we might recognize today as “religious”) that Jesus is still searching for today.  But, it is sinners, those who are desperate for change, but simply are not free from sin.  Those are whom Jesus is still seeking for today.

Looking at the finer details of Matthew’s story:

1.     He was just sitting at work, doing his job, same as every other day.

2.     He heard Jesus’ voice and IMMEDIATELY followed Jesus.

3.     It says that he left EVERYTHING – not just his job that day, but his whole prior image, reputation, source of income, worldly security.

4.     Matthew made a great feast at his house for Jesus and invited all that would come and hear.  

5.     Matthew’s personal anticipation of the coming Messiah drove all his actions that day and on.

Matthew 19:16-23

Luke 18:18-27

Mark 10:17-25

17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?

18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.

20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.

21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.

22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!

25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Now let’s look at the finer details of the “rich ruler.”

1.     He ran (sought out) and kneeled before Jesus. – outward actions looked right.

2.     He recognized Jesus as “good” – came to him with just the right words.

3.     He made a claim to self-righteous – had kept “all” the commandments since youth.

4.     Jesus went right past his “righteous” actions, appearances, and words. He cut right to the heart of the issue; addressed the ruler’s condition of his heart; knew what he valued most in life.

5.     This ruler went away from Jesus, sorrowful; unlike Matthew’s response that quickly and without regret followed Jesus.

We live in the same kind of generation as what Jesus encountered 2000+ years ago.  The world is in chaos, people are looking for answers everywhere (from government to military to religions to humanism to science to drugs and alcohol). 

And still… there are people, worldwide, that are looking for Jesus.  They might not even recognize that that’s what they are looking for, but it is.    And sadly still, there are people, worldwide, that think they are looking for Jesus, but when they come in contact with the true heart of the matter, they’re really not ready for Jesus. 

We’re to be Jesus to this world.  It’s so important to stay in tune with the Holy Ghost so that we encounter “Matthew”s we’ll be ready to teach and to guide. And when we encounter other “rich rulers” we’ll know the correct answer to give, shake the dust off our feet and turn our focus to the “Matthew”s. 

“Matthew’s account of his own story shows us that the morally and socially reprobate sometimes humble themselves more readily than religious people. Having often witnessed the fruit of sensitive personal evangelism on the streets, I fear that sometimes we spend too much time trying to convert a few resistant sinners in the church while neglecting more sinners afraid to set foot in a church. Sometimes the latter have developed less resistance to the gospel; sometimes they are outside the church precisely because of the words or behavior of some within the church.” – www.biblegateway.com

“Just as the world had come to a place of hopelessness then, and the One who would fulfill all their hopes came into their midst, so the world again is facing a time when despair is spreading widely across the earth. Hopelessness is rampant everywhere and in this time God is moving to bring to fulfillment all the prophetic words concerning His coming again.”

– Ray Stedman 

Today’s topic is not a new one for many of us. It may very well be one of the most popularly taught Bible lessons in the Christian circle, from Sunday School children’s lessons, to teens, to adults both newly converted and aged in the Gospel. Wherever you are, I pray this lesson brings about a bit of new insight or at least serves as a good reminder of a biblical truth.

Ephesians chapter 6 teaches us to put on the Armor of God, reminding us that any fight we as Christians engage in is truly a spiritual one and not something in the physical natural world. A point of interest: this explanation of the Armor of God comes after some brief instructions to fathers concerning their children and the relationship between master and servant (or in today’s modern world, between employer and employee) and is what Paul chooses to close his letter to the Ephesians with.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints…” Ephesians 6:10-18

I’m just going to break down some of the wording used here, specifically looking at the Greek definition of some words.

Truth – true, truth

Righteousness – equity, justification, righteousness

Gospel of Peace – good news of peace, (to join), prosperity, quietness, rest

Faith – persuasion, credence moral conviction, reliance of Christ, constancy, assurance, belief, fidelity

Salvation – defender or defense

The Spirit – current of air, breath, rational soul, vital principle, mental disposition

Word of God – rhema, an utterance

And then, without going into a lengthy history lesson, I’ll briefly explain what these pieces of clothing and weapons do.

The purpose of the…

                   Belt – holds clothes in place, surrounds midsection

                   Breastplate – protects vital organs: heart, lungs, digestive tract

                   Shoes – protects feet, allows for duration of travel

                   Shield – maneuverable (moves by command of the soldier’s hand/arm), protects from attack

                   Helmet – protects brain, and in some instances portions of the face

                   Sword – offensive piece used for attack, maneuverable (moves by command of the soldier’s hand/arm)

I find it interesting that this portion of scripture instructs us to STAND. I do not read any part that instructs us to move to attack. Almost every portion of armor listed once it is on is intended to stay in one place. The exception being both the sword and the shield. These move as the soldier moves his/her arms and can serve as double protection over any part of the body. If held over the head, the soldier has both a shield and helmet. If held over the chest and midsection, the soldier has both breastplate and shield and belt and shield. Same with the feet. You get the idea. Also, although typically used as an offensive weapon a sword can also be defensive as it can block an attack of another sword. Likewise, the shield, although typically used as a defense to block an attack, at times can be used offensively if the sword arm is pinned down.

Now, since Paul made it clear this Armor of God is not actual physical armor we put on the moment we’re born again. It is spiritual in application. So how does that work? What does that look like? Let’s look at some other verses of scripture that we can connect and possibly apply here. (There are by far hundreds more scriptures I could have linked to this topic. Was trying to keep it concise and to the point for my readers.)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the Truth, and the life.” John 14:6

“From the ends of the earth we hear songs of praise, of the glory to the Righteous One.” Isaiah 24:16

Jesus answered him… “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”  John 14:27

“we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” Romans 5:1

“of the gospel I preached to you… by which you are being saved… that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance to the scriptures…”    1 Corinthians 5:1-4

“by faith in His name… the faith that is through Jesus” Acts 3:16

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

And in the last days, God declares… “I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh” Joel 2:28-32 & Acts 2:17

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us…”  John 1:1 & 14

I am hoping by now you are connecting some dots. When we ask ourselves how do we put on the armor, the answer is, we put on Jesus! He is Truth, He is the Righteous One, He is peace, His life on earth is the Gospel, He provides faith, there’s salvation in no other, it’s His Spirit in us, He is the Word made flesh!!! If we’re worrying if we’re doing it all right, if we’re putting on the armor… stop the worry and just begin to put on Jesus! And then it’s a matter of learning how to depend on Him to supply the coverage the Armor provides – protection over my mind, my thoughts, my emotions, protection over my core being, my heart, protection over my belly (out of which the Spirit flows John 7:38), protection over my feet, the path I take. How to provide defense when an attack comes against me, how to wield the sword correctly (2 Timothy 2:15). Perhaps this seems overwhelming because there is no easy answer. The easy answer is Jesus. The difficult aspect being it takes us time and effort to learn Him! But, it’s worth it! So worth it!!!