Grateful for a Guarded Heart

Providence Baptist Church

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Amen. What a joy, together to sing praises together.

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I tell you honestly, this is probably one of my most favorite

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Sundays of the year, and yet it's also one of the Sundays that's the hardest to preach, because as I'm preaching, you're smelling all the wonderful foods.

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So let us have the Lord divinely stop the good smell for just a moment, so we can focus better our hearts and attention upon the

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Word of God. We are here in the midst of Ephesians 6, I ask that you turn there. This is week 125 in Ephesians, and we are in this portion now talking about the armor of God, and we have been discussing the breastplate of righteousness.

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The soldier's breastplate, if you think about ancient warfare, is important, because this breastplate guards his vital organs.

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This of course includes our physical heart, so if you think about the soldier without the breastplate, he's quite vulnerable to his heart being pierced and ultimately perishing in battle.

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Well, the church, of course, is in a spiritual battle, a battle against the world and the flesh, and according to our text, the devil,

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Satan, and demonic forces. When Paul tells us to put on the breastplate of righteousness we talked about last week,

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I believe that the primary application there is Christ's righteousness. Friend, if you are here today and you don't have

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Christ's righteousness imputed to your account, credited to your account, you stand before God at enmity, and you will face

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His judgment if nothing changes. Christ's righteousness is our armor.

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It protects our heart. I want to teach you this morning that not only is this important in our justification, but that this has practical aspects in our spiritual warfare.

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Our heart is to be guarded by Christ's imputed righteousness, and I'm thankful this

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Thanksgiving Sunday for this reality. I am, the title of the sermon, grateful for a guarded heart.

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Ephesians chapter 6, let's stand and read verse 14. We'll start in verse 13 today, how about it?

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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.

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Let's pray. Father, would you help us to understand this text? I need your grace to deliver this sermon rightly, faithfully, biblically,

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I pray for that grace. We as a church need your grace to give us ears to hear, eyes to see, a heart that feels and knows.

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We want to understand Christ's righteousness rightly. We want this to help us in the fight that we have.

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We need your assistance. Holy Spirit, be in this place. There are those in our midst even today that need to be awakened from spiritual death to spiritual life.

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There are children and teenagers and adults that need your grace, your sovereign and divine grace.

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We pray for that. There are believers in here who are struggling, struggling with sin, struggling with cares of the world, struggling with providential circumstances that have them burdened.

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We pray that we would understand today how Christ's righteousness is not just some lofty doctrine that we sit around in seminary classrooms and debate, but it has real, tangible, practical, and helpful application for the church.

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Help us to understand how and to apply it rightly. We pray that Jesus would be exalted.

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We pray it all in His name. Amen. You may be seated. Now, one reason here in verse 14,

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Paul says, put on the breastplate of righteousness. So one reason that some reject that this breastplate is

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Christ's righteousness is because they reason, well, the Christian has already put on Christ's righteousness.

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So why would Paul then tell them that they need to put it on?

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And so here's my response to that. My thought is this, the true Christian never, ever, ever, ever loses the imputed righteousness of Christ.

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It is always credited to our account. But sometimes, and too often, in fact, if we're honest, we fail to consciously apply this piece of armor properly in battle.

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It's like we go out to battle and we forget that we are justified. We forget what it means to stand in Christ.

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So I want to help you, hopefully, this morning understand the doctrine of justification is so precious to us.

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Let me just give you a quick, a pre -sermon sermon, okay? Justification is forensic.

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What I mean by that, what theologians mean by that is it's legal. Justification is a legal declaration.

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When you put your faith in Christ, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, you are legally declared righteous.

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On your account, legally, is credited the righteousness of another, namely

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Christ. Secondly, justification is full. It's forensic. Secondly, it's full. That is, there is nothing that you can add to your justification.

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All of those who look to Christ in faith are equally justified.

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There is no person in this room who is a Christian who is more justified than another person because justification is full.

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It is complete. Forensic, full, and thirdly, it is final. We are not awaiting a future justification, meaning

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Christ's work has been applied to those who are trusting Him and our good works, then, do not add to this justification and cannot add to this justification and are unnecessary for this justification.

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Now, we'll talk about good works. We'll talk about a church that desires holiness, but you'll have to push pause.

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That will all be more next week. There's some of that today. But this is the doctrine of justification, forensic, full, and final.

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And it's by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Friends, that's why the gospel is good news.

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That's why. It's because it doesn't depend upon you and the works that you contribute. It's all about what

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Christ has done. This is how we are brought to God. Furthermore, our confession rightly says this, the justification of believers under the

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Old Testament was exactly the same as the justification of believers under the

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New Testament. So listen to me, church. No one, no one, not one single person who has ever existed or will exist has been saved apart from faith in Christ.

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Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Old Testament believers were saved by looking forward to the coming

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Messiah. They were saved looking ahead by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

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Let me show you a beautiful Old Testament illustration. Turn over to the left in your

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Bibles to the book of Zechariah. The book of Zechariah chapter 3.

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Zechariah chapter 3. I'll give you just a second. Zechariah, oh no.

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Zechariah chapter 3. Now listen to this. Zechariah chapter 3 beginning in verse 1.

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Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

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And the Lord said to Satan, the Lord rebuke you, oh Satan. The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you.

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Is this not a brand plucked from the fire? Now listen to this. Now Joshua was standing before the angel clothed with filthy garments.

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And the angel said to those who were standing before him, remove the filthy garments from him. And to him he said, behold,

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I have taken your iniquity away from you. And I will clothe you with pure vestments.

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And I said, let them put a clean turban on his head. So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments.

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And the angel of the Lord was standing by. Friends, this is a picture of what happens in our justification.

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Our old filthy garments are removed and we are clothed in the garments of the righteous robes of Christ.

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This is true in the Old Testament. This is true in the New Testament. The Old Testament saints look forward to the coming of Christ.

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The New Testament saints look backward to what Christ has already completed. And this is what God does for us by His grace.

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Now what we're doing in this sermon is considering practically how do we use this breastplate of righteousness in battle.

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If Paul tells us to put it on and to use it, well how do we put it on and how do we use it? Well I remind you this morning that one of Satan's attacks on the church is he is, as it said in Zechariah, he is the accuser.

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He accuses the brethren. And part of the reason that this continues to work on Christians is because Satan is at least partly right.

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His accusations against the church carry weight because he reminds us of the guilt that we have experienced or do experience.

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The problem is Satan never tells us the whole story. He doesn't get us to the last chapter.

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Christ has made sufficient atonement for our sins and clothed us in His own righteous robes.

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So I want to be grateful today for a guarded heart. I want us to consider practically how we use the breastplate of righteousness in battle.

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Don't be scared. There are seven points. Don't be scared. Number one, when you are tempted, remember who you are.

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Number one, when you are tempted. Okay, spiritual battle, Satan tempts us. How do we use the breastplate of righteousness with this?

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When you are tempted, remember who you are. Stand therefore having fastened on the belt of truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.

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Putting on the doctrine of imputed righteousness, understanding this rightly, helps us stand against temptation.

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Here is one of the ways that you'll stand firm in battle. Remember who you are. In one sense, this is the theme of the entire letter to the

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Ephesians. In fact, let me just, let's read it because I love it. It's every English teacher's nightmare.

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A run -on sentence, but it's a beautiful theology. Ephesians chapter 1 beginning in verse 3,

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Paul reminds the Ephesians who they are. Ephesians chapter 1 beginning in verse 3.

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3 -14 is one long run -on sentence. Terrible for English teachers, wonderful for Christians.

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Not that English teachers can't be Christians, just to clarify that. Ephesians chapter 1 beginning in verse 3.

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Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, according to the riches of His grace, which

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He lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which

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He set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth, in Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him, who works all things according to the counsel of His will, so that we who were the first to open

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Christ might be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also, when you heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised

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Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of His glory.

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Christian, this is who you are. Satan tempts the church to sin, to grumble, to complain, to divide, to sin egregiously, to always be thinking about yourself more than others, whatever the case may be.

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But listen, if we are putting on this breastplate of righteousness, then we are remembering something.

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We are new. We are forgiven. We are justified. We are adopted.

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We are in union with Christ. This is who we are now. Did Christ sin?

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No. Then why would we who are in Him be interested in any of that?

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How can we who died to sin still live in it? The fundamental reality of who a

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Christian is can be put in very simple terms. Dear brother or sister, who you are is not who you were.

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You are in Christ. The reality of our justification does not lead us to desire sin.

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Whenever we sin, we are forgetting who we are in Christ. I say to you, dear brother or sister, when you are tempted, remember who you are.

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Secondly, when you are accused, remember whose you are.

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When you are tempted, remember who you are. When you are accused, remember whose you are.

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Now back up for a moment to Ephesians 6 and verse 10. The text says,

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Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

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So remember this as we're putting on all this armor, we're putting on the breastplate of righteousness, that we are God's. When you are accused, remember whose you are.

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We are the Lord's and we stand in His strength. We are clothed in His armor.

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God owns us. It was in prayer meeting this morning. At 8 .45 we have a men's prayer meeting.

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Any guy, you'd be invited to join us. But in prayer this morning, somebody prayed this.

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God, help us to remember this is your church. Amen. This is

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God's church. And He will protect her. And He will defend her.

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Let the accusations come. Our defender is stronger than our adversary.

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You hear that church? Our defender, the one who defends us, is greater than our adversary.

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Satan does certainly sometimes tell the truth, but he also sometimes just tells outright lies.

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And he accuses the church of things that we are not guilty of. And in those situations, remember you are

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God's. God has adopted you in Christ. Christ owns you. Christ is our defender.

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When you are tempted, remember who you are. When you are accused, remember whose you are. Thirdly, when you are guilty, remember

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Christ. Stand therefore having fastened on the belt of truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.

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There are times that Satan will bring up your guilt, and guess what? He's right.

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You sinned. You sinned against your spouse. You sinned against a brother or sister in the church.

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You sinned at work. You sinned against your children. Your words or your thoughts or your actions or your motivations or your desires, they came short of the glory of God.

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You sinned, and now Satan attacks. So here's some options for you.

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One option is this. You can make excuses. I did this because that happened.

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Well, I would have never, I would have never cut off that guy if he wasn't a jerk to me first, right?

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Well, I wouldn't have raised my voice with my spouse if they hadn't have done that first, right? I wouldn't have gotten mad at my kids if they'd have just listened.

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So we make excuses. Or like Adam and Eve, we blame others. Or we can even blame

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God. But if you do any of that, church, you fall for Satan's trap.

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It causes laziness. It causes division. It causes pride. It causes continued sin.

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Don't do that. Rather, I'm just, this is so profound, right? Like, I'm going to tell you something so simple, right?

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When you are guilty of sin, here is what you do. Because you are in Christ, because Christ's righteousness is yours by grace through faith.

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It's still yours. You can't lose it. What do you do when you sin? Here's what you do.

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You don't make excuses. You go to Christ. You repent.

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And you run again to Jesus, our good and gracious King. And you remember, our justification never changes.

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Ever. You don't become less justified because we sin.

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We are secure in Him. That's why the Bible says, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

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I'm telling you, dear brother or sister, look again to Christ. Own your sin. This frees us.

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You understand what I'm saying? The reality of justification frees us to fight Satan on this front.

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It frees us to do what? What are you saying, preacher? It frees us. This is how some people talk about freedom. In Christ there's freedom.

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And what they mean is, there's freedom to run around and just sin all you want. That's terrible freedom.

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Sin is bondage. Whoever commits sin is a slave to sin. That's not freedom. That's slavery.

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No, the freedom justification offers is this. We are free now to repent because our sin is taken care of already.

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Christ has already paid for my sins. I can go again to Him in faith.

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I can freely repent before my brothers and sisters. I have

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Christ. And while there are consequences for my sins, and there are times that I need to make restitution for my sins, there is never penance to God required for them.

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Does that make sense? I don't have to work in order for God to forgive me because I can't.

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That's what some of you think sometimes. I know it because I thought it too. I did this and now I got to do this to get it back.

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No, no, no. My forgiveness is wrapped up in what Christ has done. What did

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He say on the cross? It is finished. So the best thing a Christian can do when he or she is guilty of sinning is to run again to our

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King, to run to Him in faith, repent and rest again in all that God is for you in Christ.

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Jesus paid it all. When we sin, we are essentially telling

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Jesus, turn back from us. Depart from us. Like Naomi said to her daughter -in -law, remember?

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But Jesus ain't like Orpah, right? Jesus is like Ruth who clings to Naomi and Christ clings to His bride, committing

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Himself to be with us even unto our death. He is not letting go of His bride.

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Christians were once alienated from God, but that's no longer the case. The wrath of God for all our sin, it is gone, it is gone.

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It has been propitiated by Christ. Christ on the cross drank down the foaming cup of God's wrath as we heard a few weeks ago from Pastor Jacob.

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He drank it down to the last dreg and there is not an ounce, not a drop left for you to drink.

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So keep drinking from the rivers of grace. Are you wearing the breastplate today?

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When you are guilty of sin, repent, look to our Lord Jesus and you disarm the devil.

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Rest yourself in the completed work of Christ. When you are tempted, remember who you are. When you are accused, remember whose you are.

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When you are guilty, remember Christ. Fourth, when you are self -righteous, remember the law.

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When you are self -righteous, remember the law. So the text says that we are put on the breastplate of righteousness and I want you to think about this.

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If Satan cannot get you to fall in some egregious manner, adultery, pornography, drugs, something like that, there are other things that he will use.

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He can work at times to tempt us to harden our heart in self -righteousness.

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Look at all that I am doing. Look how committed I am to the church. Look how committed my family is to the biblical home, to family worship, and leading the home rightly.

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Look how much I read my Bible. Look how much I am obeying God. Satan is so crafty.

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We know better than to allow those thoughts to be spoken out loud. But if you're honest this morning with your heart, then you know that these thoughts have crept in before.

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And when you think about this breastplate of righteousness, I want you to consider what Christ did to obtain it.

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Remember last week? Perfect, personal, precise, perpetual obedience to God's holy, righteous law.

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Let that humble your heart. Hear me this morning.

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You are just as far away from keeping

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God's law for your justification as the most wretched, vile, reprobated sinner that you can imagine in your mind.

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Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

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Sinners. Your works cannot merit justification.

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Your works cannot remove you out of a standing of enmity with God and place you into a standing of favor with God.

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It cannot happen. Now listen, this is not me saying well sin is sin so it doesn't matter.

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That's not true. And this is not me saying that the believer doesn't pursue good works, amen we do, and real obedience to God, amen we do, by God's grace working in our hearts.

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Christians were recreated. Ephesians teaches us in Christ for good works. Christians do good works.

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If you're not doing good works you hadn't been born again. That's just the Bible. But hear me now. There is nothing that you can bring and parade in here before God that merits his acceptance of you.

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I'm saved and someone else is not saved because of where I'm born, the color of my skin, how good

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I am, because my parents were Christians. You've got nothing to bring in here and put before God and him say

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I accept you based on that. It's only Christ.

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Because in and of yourself you fall short of his holy standard. So let the law humble you and let it drive you again to our good and gracious king.

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Put on his armor, not your own. We stand, all of us, on equal ground before God as sinners.

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Oh, but grace, grace, grace in Christ. He is our hope.

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He is our boast. He is our all, not self, but Christ. When you're tempted, remember who you are.

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When you are accused, remember whose you are. When you are guilty, remember Christ. When you are self -righteous, remember the law.

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Fifthly, when you are afraid, remember the armor. Let me back up to verse 11.

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Put on the whole armor of God. Whose armor is it, church? It's God's armor.

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When you are afraid, remember the armor. We should not make light of spiritual warfare.

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Sometimes we can walk around with such confidence in Christ. But sometimes we can have very serious times of depression or fear or anxiety or trepidation.

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Satan sometimes can paralyze the church at least in part or the whole sometimes with fear.

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But I'm calling you today to remember the armor. And specifically this breastplate.

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It is God's armor. This is the armor that Christ himself has worn and won for his church.

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And now it's the same armor he gifts to the church.

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I'm going to tell you something. When you're afraid, little things, big things.

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Little anxiety type things. Big cancer type things.

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Everything in between. When you are afraid, remember the armor.

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Listen, church. Not the culture. Not the government.

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Not your circumstances. No false religion. No demonic power. Nothing can separate us from Christ.

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We are God's children. He loves us. We get scared to say stuff like that sometimes because there's so many in the world today that abuse the love of God.

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But I'm just going to say it. I'm going to say it boldly. I'm going to say it based on biblical revealed truth. God loves his church.

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He loves us. He loves us in Christ. And he's given us the best. The best of the best of the best.

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He's given us Christ's armor. And when you are afraid, remember this is not your armor.

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It's God's. And nothing, nothing can prevent the church's final victory.

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Not Hamas. Not the next president. Our armor is the armor of God.

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When you are afraid, remember the armor. When you are tempted, remember who you are. When you are accused, remember who you are.

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When you are guilty, remember Christ. When you are self -righteous, remember the law. When you are afraid, remember the armor.

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Sixthly. I can't read Roman numerals. When all is well, remember grace.

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It occurred to me that I've kind of painted a lot of negative realities of the Christian life here. Temptation, accusation, failure, self -righteousness, fear.

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But Paul gives us this command for all seasons of life. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness.

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There are times in the Christian life that we don't feel so much heat from the battle.

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It makes sense when I'm trying to communicate. I'm not saying to grow complacent. But there are times when you wake up.

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The kids are well. You don't have to wipe a nose. There's no one that's sick.

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The table is set. The food is served. And Christ is enjoyed. And the saints are edified.

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What do you do during those times? You still wear the breastplate of righteousness. And you remember grace.

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As we gather here today after church. Hot food. Warm fellowship.

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Rich blessings. Remember grace. God is for us in Christ.

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And this is based not on anything this church has done. It's based on His eternal love and sovereign grace.

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Grace has brought us safe this far. And grace will lead you home.

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Think about that. You stand in this impenetrable breastplate. The fury of Satan is kept at bay from you.

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Your heart is content in Christ. You are at peace with the church. You're hungering and thirsting for righteousness.

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I'm talking about these days when everything is well. When all is well. Everything seems to be going well. Remember grace.

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Where is this coming from, friend? It's coming from the fountain of grace. So drink deeply.

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And do not forget the source of these blessings. And do not forget the cost of these blessings.

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They flow to you from the wounds of our King. The one who came and was born of the

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Virgin Mary. The one who came and lived righteously for us. The one who came and bled for us.

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Died for us. Took the wrath of God for us. And rose again for us. And now reigns on high for us in His glory.

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And for the good of His church. This is the grace that flows over to the church.

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When all is well, remember grace. When you are tempted, remember who you are.

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When you are accused, remember whose you are. When you are guilty, remember Christ. When you are self -righteous, remember the law.

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When you are afraid, remember the armor. When all is well, remember grace. And then, I don't get to say this word every sermon.

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Seventhly, when death arrives, remember gain.

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Stand, therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.

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Friends, I want to tell you, the inevitable is just outside the door. It is a phone call away.

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It is a doctor's report away. It is a tragedy away. It is a heartbeat away.

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It is a falling asleep at the wheel away. Death is coming.

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And you will cross that river more quickly than you even thought or realized you would.

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Friends, this is a terrifying reality to those who are rejecting Christ. To those who are dressed this morning in the breastplate of self -righteousness, or the breastplate of hypocrisy, or the breastplate of complacency, or the breastplate of carelessness, or the breastplate of love of the world, or those dressed in Satan's armor and in love with sin.

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Friend, if this is you, your condition is dreadful. And you should be terrified.

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Death should frighten you. I'm not afraid of death. You should be! Because when you die, you're going to meet a holy and righteous

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God. And you're going to give an account. And I believe somewhere in your heart of hearts, you know, you know, you realize, you will give an account for your wretchedness and your hypocrisy and the things that you have done.

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You will give an account. Death should make you afraid. It will creep up on you before you are ready.

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And in the blink of an eye, you will pass out of this life and into the next, from a life of carefree rebellion against God into one that enters immediately upon His righteous judgment for all eternity.

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Your only hope is to run to Christ. It's to run to the Jesus you've heard preached today.

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The One who has secured perfection and suffered our penalty. The One who died and is now alive forevermore.

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The One who is offered to poor and needy sinners. The One who will save the vilest offender who comes to Him in faith.

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You must repent this morning and believe the Gospel or death will only be the beginning of an eternal hell that you can never escape.

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That's the warning. But what about for the believer? What about those who are in Christ? What about those putting on the breastplate of righteousness?

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Well, we remember, for me to live is Christ. And to die is gain.

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Precious in the sight of Yahweh is the death of His saints. To be absent from the body is to be present with the

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Lord. How does this breastplate of righteousness equip us in spiritual warfare? Because it takes the greatest worry of mankind and it turns it into a blessing.

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Right? So think about it. Death is not the end. If you're in Christ, death is not the end. Death is the beginning.

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Death is gain. Death is gain for those who are in Christ because we have been justified.

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So, I look up and I see the hill.

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The battle there is fierce. But the King says to me,

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Go. Take the hill for my glory.

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But I might die. To win the ground there for my

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King. Lord, my dear Lord, what if it costs me my very life? And I look and I see even the saints of old who have perished as they've striven to take this hill.

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And I am afraid. What about my family? What about my children? Then my hand comes up.

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And I feel close to my heart the breastplate that I am wearing.

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Christ on armor. And I am reminded He is worthy.

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And He is in me. And He is with me. And the very worst thing that can happen to me as I charge the hill before me.

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The very worst thing that can happen to me. He has already made provision for. He's already conquered.

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My Savior passed through death Himself. And He tasted death under God's divine judgment.

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His righteous life could not be contained by death. He rose again from death triumphing over the grave.

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And this very righteousness that could not be held by death He's bestowed upon me by grace through faith.

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That means the death that couldn't hold Him it can't hold me either. Because I'm in Christ.

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All death does is deliver me from this weak decaying body and the sin that seeks to cling ever so close to me.

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Death only means for me an entrance into the very presence of Christ.

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It only holds out the promise of a resurrected and glorified body. Death for those who are in Christ is gain.

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So I will charge the hill. Who will go with me?

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Christ is worthy. Stand therefore having fastened on the belt of truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness.

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Christ is worthy. Christ is worthy of a church that remembers who we are.

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Christ is worthy of a church that remembers whose we are. Christ is worthy of a church that remembers

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Him. Christ is worthy of a church that remembers the high cost of our salvation.

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Christ is worthy of a church that remembers His armor. Christ is worthy of a church that remembers grace.

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Christ is worthy of a church that remembers death is gain. There are so many things to be thankful for this time of year.

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But I wonder this morning if the church is grateful for a guarded heart.

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This armor is not just like kids coloring sheets. I know it makes easy like VBS stuff.

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But man, it's so much more than that. It has real and tangible application to the church.

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It brings real hope against the world, against the flesh, and against the devil.

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Friends, are you putting it on? Will we put it on together to be the church that the

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Lord Jesus Christ is worthy of and that the Lord Jesus Christ would have us to be right here in central

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Arkansas. Christ is worthy of that. Let's pray.

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Father, we thank You for this armor. Help us to apply it right.

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Bless us. Thank You for what Christ has accomplished.

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Today, if there's a poor, wretched, miserable, needy sinner, oh

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God, would they see that this righteousness is held out to them if they will receive it only one way.

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Faith. I pray even today that You'd work the grace of repentance and faith in the hearts of those who are not

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Christians at this moment. That they would look to Christ and be saved. I pray that the church would be encouraged for the battle that we are in.

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And that we would wear this breastplate confidently in Christ.