January 18, 2026
Havasu Christian Church
Are you Battle ready?
Ephesians 6:10–20
“How righteous is your breastplate?”
INTRO: As we continue our study in Ephesians 6, we come to the Breastplate of Righteousness.
A physical breastplate was an essential part of the armor. It protected the vital organs. That’s pretty important!
We need the protection that we receive from the Breastplate of Righteousness. Let’s see what that really means.
Ephesians 6:10–20 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,
15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;
16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,
20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
- What is the breastplate of righteousness?
From gotquestions.com: Dictionaries define righteousness as “behavior that is morally justifiable or right.” Such behavior is characterized by accepted standards of morality, justice, virtue, or uprightness. The Bible’s standard of human righteousness is God’s own perfection in every attribute, every attitude, every behavior, and every word. Thus, God’s laws, as given in the Bible, both describe His own character and constitute the plumb line by which He measures human righteousness.
- Righteousness is Living up to a standard.
- God’s standard!
- Without God, there is no objective standard.
- Who decides right and wrong?
- Society making the choice is how we wound up with a lot of bad things….
- The Holocaust.
- Multiple attacks on Israel over the years.
- Communists taking over in various places.
- Abortion on demand.
- The takeover of many colleges by those who would teach Marxist ideology.
- The list goes on.
- The players in the game do not make up the rules as they go along!
- It would be chaos!
- God is the One who created the standard!
- God lives up to His own standard... Always!
- God always does the right thing.
- He expects us to do what is right as well.
- God’s standard should be our standard too!
- Who’s righteousness is it?
- We depend on God’s Righteousness.
- Again, He is TRULY righteous!
- None of us are actually righteous.
- Anyone who’s lived long enough to know right from wrong has chosen to do wrong.
- But God CHOOSES to call faithful people righteous!
Genesis 15:5–6 And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
- Reckoned = considered
- We are considered righteous by God, because we believe His promises.
- Believe enough to act on our belief!
- God gives us His righteousness through Jesus!
II Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
- What an AMAZING gift!
- It’s wonderful for us.
- It cost Jesus SO MUCH!
- God also has an expectation of us to live righteous lives.
- We are His Children!
Romans 8:12–17 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
- We are children, called to live as our Father wants us to live!
- Living for the flesh must die!
- Living by the Spirit must flourish!
- Doing what God wants instead of what my “natural self” wants.
- We belong to God!
- Not because He made us slaves.
- But because He made us SONS!
- This includes being Heirs!
- If we suffer with Jesus, we will be Glorified with Jesus!
- What does this breastplate protect? US!
- God’s Righteousness covers us!
- When God looks at us, He doesn’t see the sin, He sees the Righteousness that Jesus gives us!
- We are clean in God’s eyes!
- We are protected from eternal death!
- Righteousness protects the heart.
- Emotional, not physical.
- External attacks
- When my identity is in Christ, what others say and think doesn’t matter nearly as much!
- When I wear the breastplate, my physical situation doesn’t matter as much either!
- I am a Child of the King!
- I have a wonderful future!
- A future that no one can take away!
- I am FORGIVEN!!!
- Internal attacks
- Satan loves to remind us of our past!
- “You were terrible!”
- He’s right.
- “You were evil!”
- He’s right again!
- “How could God ever forgive you?”
- But we know better! God has ALREADY forgiven us!
- My own mind may attack me.
- But God has already forgiven me!
- Who am I to beat myself up for what God has already forgiven?
- Remembering who I am (a child of God) helps me live that way!
- I was not born a Walton, but I’ve tried hard in my life not to bring shame to the family that adopted me.
- We should keep the same attitude about our adopted family as Christians!!
- Live like a child of God, not as a child of the devil!
- Wearing the Breastplate of Righteousness isn’t always easy!
Police officers don’t wear a protective vest because it’s comfortable to wear. They wear it because the time may come that it saves their life. A Christian doesn’t wear the Breastplate because it’s comfortable, we wear it because it protects.
- It’s easier to go without!
- Not worrying about being righteous is easy.
- Just do whatever feels right…
- “Just follow your feelings!” NOT!!!
- If you do this, you will “crash & burn” in this life.
- You will do damage to all kinds of relationships.
- Family
- Friends
- Work
- Church
- If you do this, you’ll “crash & burn” in the life to come as well!
- Wearing the Breastplate is worth the discomfort!
Conclusion: We’ve been given the armor! We need to Wear IT!
- Wearing the Breastplate isn’t always comfortable, but it’s necessary!
- Wearing the Breastplate isn’t always easy, but it’s necessary!
- Wearing the Breastplate will save you from harm!
- Wearing the Breastplate will save you from Eternal Harm!
- Trust God’s Righteousness!
- Be thankful that Jesus made it possible for you to receive it!
- Be thankful that you have been made a Child of God!
- If you haven’t given your life to Jesus, What are you waiting for?
