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THE CHRISTIAN ARMOR PART 2

THE ARMOR OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

2 Corinthians 6:7 (King James Version)
7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

If we are going to survive the attacks of the devil, the flesh, or the world, we must have protection.

These are the enemies of the Christian, if victorious, they will bring reproach on the ministry

2 Corinthians 6:3 (King James Version)
3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:

One of the necessary things we must have to overcome them is

“the armor of righteousness.

” What is the armor of righteousness?

  1. First Of All, It Is Not Ours
  2. We have no righteousness of our own.

Isaiah 64:6 (King James Version)
6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

  1. our very best compared to the Holy God of heaven is as filthy rags in His sight.
  2. If we depend on our goodness to protect us from the devil, the flesh, and the world,
  3. we are in bad shape and doomed to defeat

Romans 3:10 (King James Version)
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

  1. We must apply the righteousness of Jesus christfor our own

Philippians 3:9 (King James Version)
9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

  1. He is the only one who ever was righteous
  2. jesus never did one wrong thing
  3. jesus never sinned one sin

2 Corinthians 5:21 (King James Version)
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

  1. We receive His righteousness when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. I Cor. 1:30
  1. Secondly, It Is Two-Fold
  2. In heaven. As far as God is concerned, we are destined for a home in heaven.
  3. When we put on Jesus’ armor of righteousness, God the Father doesn’t see our sin nature.

Colossians 3:3 (King James Version)
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

  1. We still have our old sin nature even though we are saved.
  2. Our armor of righteousness is our robe of righteousness.

Revelation 19:8 (King James Version)
8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

  1. On earth — God sees us becoming what He considers us to already be.
  2. God wants us to be TRANSFORMED not conformed to the image of His Son

Romans 12:2 (King James Version)
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

  1. We cannot do this unless we Put on the armor of righteousness.
  1. Thirdly, It Is For The Protection Of Our Testimony.
  2. We must be different than the world if we are the children of God
  3. The children of this world, for the most part, live, act, talk, and dress wickedly.
  4. The children of this world are the image of their father, the devil

John 8:44 (King James Version)
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

  1. The children of God are to be the image of their father

Colossians 3:10 (King James Version)
10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

  1. Lastly, You Must Put It On Yourself
  2. God does not put the armor of righteousness on you.
  3. In salvation, you put it on when you receive Jesus as your Saviour.

Galatians 3:27 (King James Version)
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

  1. In sanctification, (to be separated, made holy, cleaned up), you put it on by putting off the old man and putting on the new man

Romans 12:1-3 (King James Version)
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

When you put off old sinful habits, and you put on new righteous habits, the new man is on the way up.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (King James Version)
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.