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The Breastplate of Righteousness
The Breastplate of Righteousness
Series: Suited Up - The Armor of God (Week 3 of 7)
Scripture: Ephesians 6:14b
Summary
In ancient warfare, a soldier could survive wounds to his arms, legs, or even head—but a wound to the heart was fatal. That's why the breastplate was critical. Similarly, in spiritual warfare, the enemy's primary target is your heart—your emotions, your conscience, your sense of identity. The breastplate of righteousness protects what matters most.
This message explores how two kinds of righteousness work together to guard your heart from the enemy's attacks.
Key Points:
1. Christ's Righteousness Is Your Foundation
Before we can talk about living righteously, we must establish the foundation: you cannot earn righteousness through your own effort. Isaiah 64:6 says all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. The breastplate begins with what Christ has done FOR you, not what you do for Him.
2 Corinthians 5:21 reveals the great exchange: Jesus took your sin, and you receive His perfect righteousness. This is justification—your legal standing before God. When Satan accuses you (and Revelation 12:10 calls him "the accuser of our brethren"), you don't defend yourself by your performance. You point to Christ's finished work.
This is the first layer of the breastplate. It protects your heart from crushing guilt and constant insecurity. Your acceptance before God doesn't depend on your daily performance—it depends on Christ's perfect righteousness credited to you by faith.
2. Righteous Living Protects Your Heart From Attack
While your standing before God is secured by Christ's righteousness alone, your effectiveness in spiritual warfare requires righteous living. Paul tells us to "put on" the breastplate—that's active. We must put on righteous living daily.
Why? Because unconfessed sin creates vulnerability in your armor. If you're harboring secret sin, living a double life, or deliberately disobeying God, what happens? Your prayers feel powerless. Your Bible reading feels dry. Your conscience condemns you. Your confidence evaporates.
The pattern is: Deliberate disobedience → guilt and shame → loss of confidence → weakened prayers → spiritual ineffectiveness.
We explored specific examples: unconfessed bitterness, secret sexual sin, financial dishonesty, unresolved conflict. Each creates a hole in the breastplate that the enemy exploits.
Proverbs 28:1 says, "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion." Why are the righteous bold? Because they have nothing to hide. Their conscience is clear. That gives them confidence in prayer, boldness in witness, and power in spiritual warfare.
3. The Enemy Attacks Your Heart With Guilt, Shame, and Condemnation
The enemy's strategy is to attack your heart through three primary weapons:
Guilt - "Look at what you did." Satan takes legitimate guilt and twists it, bringing up sins you've already confessed and making you feel like you can never be forgiven.
Shame - "Look at who you are." While guilt says "I did something bad," shame says "I AM bad." It attacks your identity and worth, paralyzing you with the belief that you're fundamentally broken.
Condemnation - "You're disqualified." This weapon says you've gone too far, sinned too much, and can't be used by God. It stops believers from stepping into ministry and being effective for the kingdom.
We learned how to distinguish the Holy Spirit's conviction from Satan's condemnation:
The breastplate of righteousness protects you from these attacks. When you're trusting in Christ's righteousness AND walking in obedience, the enemy's accusations bounce off because your confidence is in Christ, not yourself.
The Bottom Line: The breastplate of righteousness protects your heart in two ways—Christ's righteousness gives you standing before God, and your righteous living gives you confidence in warfare. You need both. Christ's righteousness without obedience leads to presumption. Obedience without Christ's righteousness leads to works-based religion. But together, they form a breastplate that fully protects your heart.
Next in Series:
Week 4 - "The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace" (Ephesians 6:15)
How the gospel gives us firm footing in spiritual warfare.
View all episodes
By Plymouth Church of ChristThe Breastplate of Righteousness
Series: Suited Up - The Armor of God (Week 3 of 7)
Scripture: Ephesians 6:14b
Summary
In ancient warfare, a soldier could survive wounds to his arms, legs, or even head—but a wound to the heart was fatal. That's why the breastplate was critical. Similarly, in spiritual warfare, the enemy's primary target is your heart—your emotions, your conscience, your sense of identity. The breastplate of righteousness protects what matters most.
This message explores how two kinds of righteousness work together to guard your heart from the enemy's attacks.
Key Points:
1. Christ's Righteousness Is Your Foundation
Before we can talk about living righteously, we must establish the foundation: you cannot earn righteousness through your own effort. Isaiah 64:6 says all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. The breastplate begins with what Christ has done FOR you, not what you do for Him.
2 Corinthians 5:21 reveals the great exchange: Jesus took your sin, and you receive His perfect righteousness. This is justification—your legal standing before God. When Satan accuses you (and Revelation 12:10 calls him "the accuser of our brethren"), you don't defend yourself by your performance. You point to Christ's finished work.
This is the first layer of the breastplate. It protects your heart from crushing guilt and constant insecurity. Your acceptance before God doesn't depend on your daily performance—it depends on Christ's perfect righteousness credited to you by faith.
2. Righteous Living Protects Your Heart From Attack
While your standing before God is secured by Christ's righteousness alone, your effectiveness in spiritual warfare requires righteous living. Paul tells us to "put on" the breastplate—that's active. We must put on righteous living daily.
Why? Because unconfessed sin creates vulnerability in your armor. If you're harboring secret sin, living a double life, or deliberately disobeying God, what happens? Your prayers feel powerless. Your Bible reading feels dry. Your conscience condemns you. Your confidence evaporates.
The pattern is: Deliberate disobedience → guilt and shame → loss of confidence → weakened prayers → spiritual ineffectiveness.
We explored specific examples: unconfessed bitterness, secret sexual sin, financial dishonesty, unresolved conflict. Each creates a hole in the breastplate that the enemy exploits.
Proverbs 28:1 says, "The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion." Why are the righteous bold? Because they have nothing to hide. Their conscience is clear. That gives them confidence in prayer, boldness in witness, and power in spiritual warfare.
3. The Enemy Attacks Your Heart With Guilt, Shame, and Condemnation
The enemy's strategy is to attack your heart through three primary weapons:
Guilt - "Look at what you did." Satan takes legitimate guilt and twists it, bringing up sins you've already confessed and making you feel like you can never be forgiven.
Shame - "Look at who you are." While guilt says "I did something bad," shame says "I AM bad." It attacks your identity and worth, paralyzing you with the belief that you're fundamentally broken.
Condemnation - "You're disqualified." This weapon says you've gone too far, sinned too much, and can't be used by God. It stops believers from stepping into ministry and being effective for the kingdom.
We learned how to distinguish the Holy Spirit's conviction from Satan's condemnation:
The breastplate of righteousness protects you from these attacks. When you're trusting in Christ's righteousness AND walking in obedience, the enemy's accusations bounce off because your confidence is in Christ, not yourself.
The Bottom Line: The breastplate of righteousness protects your heart in two ways—Christ's righteousness gives you standing before God, and your righteous living gives you confidence in warfare. You need both. Christ's righteousness without obedience leads to presumption. Obedience without Christ's righteousness leads to works-based religion. But together, they form a breastplate that fully protects your heart.
Next in Series:
Week 4 - "The Shoes of the Gospel of Peace" (Ephesians 6:15)
How the gospel gives us firm footing in spiritual warfare.