The Breastplate of Righteousness
Category: Integrity & Godly Character
Key Passage: Ephesians 6
Speaker: Paul Chisgar
Date: March 4, 2025
Great job. That’s tough on the piano players. Sarah did a good job. Appreciate that. You just never know what you’re going to get, amen. And so she did good on that. Ephesians chapter number six.
Ephesians chapter number six. Help me out. What we discussed? What’s the first piece of armor we discussed last week? What was it?
What’s it? Girt about with truth? Loins gird about with truth. Right, right, right. Good, good, good. Now, he’s talking to Christians. So I don’t necessarily think he’s talking about Jesus. He is the truth. And he says, take it with you. So there’s a chance we don’t take it with us. So I believe really is just talking about honesty, truth.
And so vital. By the way, if you’re not honest, you’re not going to grow. Good chance the devil’s going to be able to hit you that belt. Oh, we’ve got to get our armor out tonight. We’ve got to get our armor out. Here we go. Help me out. The helmet of… Don’t get afraid with all these big pieces of armor out, all right? I know that they’re mighty powerful there. Boy, there it is. There’s the… Sword of the… Yeah, which is the Word of God. Good, good, good.
And we’ve got… We’ll get that just a second here. We got this one last week: loins girded about with truth. There it is. Good. And the shield of faith. We’ll see here if we can put it there without knocking it off. I don’t know. And we got our faithful shin guards, amen. Feet shod with what? Preparation of the gospel of peace. The gospel, amen. And good. And then tonight we’ve got the breastplate of… That’s what we’re going to cover tonight. That’s exactly right.
Now, remember, he’s talking to the Ephesians, the church at Ephesus. And that was a large province of Asia. It’s kind of like the capital city. I’ve been saying this a lot. I want to kind of get into us what’s going on here. Remember the amphitheater there? They could see 50,000 people. Sometimes I think of these Bible stories as just small and minute. This is a large city. There’s a harbor there, a trade city. It’s where the Temple of Diana, one of the seven wonders of the world, was there. Maybe that’s the place where Paul was delivered from the lions in that amphitheater. See 50,000 people—I’m not sure about that. Remember that it happened there, that chanting for two hours, “Great Diana,” and just over there in Acts 19. Can you imagine how that can make you feel inferior, intimidating that might be? And it was in that region, that area that he is writing this.
And he’s talking about you’re going to need some armor. And just a very demonic area over there. Acts 19, that church got started, and they sold all the witchcraft books and everything, and just thousands and thousands of dollars worth. There was a lot of demonic and goddess worship going on. It’s a major place. And in the midst of that, he’s talking to these Ephesian Christians. At the end of this book, Chapter 6, he’s got these final thoughts for these Ephesian Christians. That’s where we’re picking it up. That’s where we’re picking it up. Ephesians 6, and we’re in verse number 10 tonight, verse number 10.
Ephesians 6, verse number 10: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
By the way, the evil day will come. It comes to everybody.
Verse number 12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.” This old world’s got a satanic hold on it. There are rulers. There is this darkness of this world.
That’s why we’re talking about that. Pray for your president. And those are shaking up some of the darkness of this world, so you know the devil’s going to be attacking them. Pray for it. I try to pray for a president, vice president. I pray for Mike Johnson, John Thune and Billy. Try to pray at least for those every day, and the leader of the House, leader of the Senate. And pray for them. You know, they’re shaking things up a little bit; a whole lot of darkness going on there, so you know the devil’s after them.
Just the thought as I’m reading through this. We’re at the bottom of verse number 12: “against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” “Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand.”
“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. And above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”
Father, I sure would like to rightly divide. Lord, you know I battled and tried to study, Lord, and pray about what does this breastplate of righteousness really mean to us as individuals? Father, would you make it real to each individual as only you can? Help me to describe it and talk about it and preach about it, but Lord, would you come and just touch every individual? They need this thing, Lord, so we can stand in the evil day. Satan’s attacking. Make it real to these people, Father, all of us. And Lord, we’ll thank you for what you do. Father, I’m asking for this in the name of Jesus. Lord, would you just shower us down by your grace that Jesus earned? We’re claiming that by faith, Father. And it’s in Jesus, and then we pray. Amen.
Breastplate of, what is? Of righteousness. Now, in the Bible, there’s much said about the righteousness of a Christian before God. Of course, we know before God our righteousness is as filthy rags, Isaiah 64:6. We understand that. In fact, as a Christian before God, Brother Frank has said this, I believe it was, our righteousness is kind of like holding a flashlight up to the sun. There’s no comparison. That’s why before God, we really, our righteousness, we don’t earn favor of God by our righteousness. Oh, not at all. We have favor with God through Jesus’ righteousness. What a wonderful verse. Look over really quickly, if you will, in 2 Corinthians 5 and verse number 21 in God’s Word. And notice what he says there about this righteousness, which is of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5 in verse number 21, the Bible there says, “For he,” speaking of God the Father, “for he hath made him, Jesus, to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
I love this verse, Romans 10:13, and really to the Jewish people, he says, “For they, being ignorant of God’s righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness which is of God.” Philippians 3:9: “Being 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.”
And I think we understand that for the most part. But I don’t know that he’s really speaking here of the righteousness before God through Jesus Christ. He’s speaking to someone that’s already born again. He’s speaking to the Ephesian Christians, the church there. They’re already saved. They’ve already got the righteousness of Jesus standing on their account. They’ve got that, or else they would not be born again Christians. I’m not sure he’s really speaking of that. I will go back to that at the end. But by the way, that’s perfect righteousness. And the wonderful thing about that is because, if you’re a born-again Christian, because you have that righteousness on your account, even when you get shot at by the devil, that armor will stand the test. And he’ll never be able to deliver a blow, excuse me, to your vital organs because of Jesus Christ. You have His righteousness on your account. So praise the Lord for that. His righteousness is perfect, and we’re protected by that.
Help me out. It’s a, what? A breastplate, right? Help me out. It’s a what? It’s a, yeah, that protects your vital organs. Pretty much everybody that writes about this, talks about it. They’ll talk about your vital organs, specifically your heart. It protects that. And because of Jesus, we’re protected. Can I just put it in everyday language? Once you’re saved, you’re always saved. Can’t lose your salvation. You’re protected by the righteousness of Jesus. Your vital organs are.
Very, very important that is. But he’s talking to Christians. So why is he telling us, verse number 13, “Take this”? It leads you to believe you can leave it. You don’t always take it. He’s telling us to take this so you can stand when the devil’s attacking. So what does he mean? What does he mean by breastplate of righteousness?
The Bible does refer to righteousness in reference to our personal character, our personal righteousness. Let me read some of the verses about that. Hebrews 12, the chastening chapter of the Bible. We often say, Hebrews 12:11: “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous.” How many ever liked to get a whipping when you’re growing up? Uh-uh, no. He said, ain’t that, nothing pleasant about that. He said, “Nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” God chastens us because he’s trying to get us to live personal, righteous lives. You understand that? Understand it’s a biblical thing. First John 3, verse number 10: “In this the children of God are manifested, and the children of the devil: Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.” You’re talking about personal righteousness there.
Matthew chapter 3, verse number 15. Jesus is going to be baptized by John the Baptist, and John the Baptist says, “Oh no, oh no, I’m not to baptize you. I’m not worthy.” And Jesus says this there in that passage: “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.” So when someone gets baptized, that’s as a righteous act or deed. Personal righteousness. It’s a biblical thing. Hebrews 11:33: “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions.” Second Timothy 2:22: “Flee also youthful lusts, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace.” On and on and on, personal righteousness. You and I in our everyday living. Someone worded it this way: “A habitual or conscientious obedience to the various commands of God.” You’re in the habit of doing right. Let me word it again: You’re in the habit of doing right.
Someone this morning, someone this morning, we’re leaving Sunday school. They’ve been sick, and they were back in church today. I said, “Well, it’s good to see you. We missed you when you’re out sick.” And they said, “It just doesn’t seem right when we’re not in church.” They’ve gotten back in church the last maybe two years or so, I can’t—I don’t know. And my mind automatically went to it: Hey, they’re putting on—that’s the shield of faith—they are getting, they’re putting on the breastplate of righteousness. It just doesn’t feel right when they’re not in church. They’re getting in the habit. It’s becoming a habit, a way of life, to do the right thing, to be in church. That’s what it’s talking about.
You see, because there’s going to be sometimes that you won’t feel like being in church, or maybe backslid and your heart’s not there, but you’re going to protect your heart from going all the way down by doing the right thing out of—it’s a way of life. You’re just used to wearing the breastplate of righteousness. You see, the breastplate of righteousness keeps Satan’s attacks from going deep into your heart. It’s going to tag. And sometimes his sword, the devil’s sword, will get past maybe the shield of faith. Now, it can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, but maybe your faith is a little low. And you’re in battle, and you’re battling it out. And the devil, boy, he’s pretty good. And he’ll get past that shield, and he’ll get in here to your vital organs, you see. But if you have the breastplate of righteousness on, right here, that wound, that shot he gives you, won’t go all the way down into your vital organs because you’ve got righteousness you’re wearing. That’s what it’s talking about: the breastplate of righteousness.
So very, very important. We’ve been meeting Thursday nights with some of the men. And it’s when a man is wearing the breastplate right: “No, I’m not going to look at that.” But Jesus said, “I’m not going to look at that.” And he’s got some righteousness. “No, I’m not going to look at that.” Because you see, the Bible says, “Mine eye affecteth mine heart,” but yet he’s wearing a breastplate of righteousness, so the wound doesn’t go all the way down to his vital organs—it’s heart. That’s what it’s talking about. Take with you the breastplate of righteousness. You’re in the habit. It’s a way of life of living and doing right.
By the way, parents, that’s why it’s so important that you raise your children day in, day out, not just teaching them, but living it, making them do right. It’s a lot easier for them to put on the breastplate of righteousness because they grow up with that in their life. It’s that breastplate of righteousness that will keep you from cursing, using filthy language when you’re mad and you want to use some filthy language. Somebody ticks you off. Somebody pulls out right in front of you, amen. And you got to slam on your brakes. And you want to. But you say, “No, no, I haven’t said that in a while, and I’m not going to say that. I want to take with me the breastplate of righteousness.”
Now, here’s the thing. You see, if we’re not wearing that, and you start saying all that, you know what happens? It starts to contaminate your vital organs. That’s what the Bible means over in 1 Corinthians chapter 15:33: “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” Some will say, talk about your companions, your communications with them. Evil communications corrupt good manners. That manners isn’t talking about the table you eat with your mouth closed, though that’s a good thing, amen. It’s talking about your morals, see. And it corrupts. And yet if you say, “No, I’m going to wear the breastplate of righteousness,” then your morals don’t get corrupted. See, the sword doesn’t go all the way down into your inner organs, your heart.
Look, if you will, over in Proverbs chapter 23. Proverbs chapter 23. And notice this little phrase there that I think goes really well with this breastplate of righteousness, protecting your vital organs, specifically your heart. Proverbs 23, and look in verse number 13 if you would please, verse number 13. Proverbs 23, verse number 13. You’re there tonight, amen? Good, good, good. He says, “Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.”
Now, I notice our heart is not supposed to guide us; we’re to guide our heart in the way. Now, here’s what I’m getting at here. The breastplate of righteousness will cause you, even when your heart’s starting to wander—and it will, it’s deceitful above all things, desperately wicked, who can know it—and yet you say, “You know what, even though my heart’s not there.” Remember what Paul said to that young preacher, Timothy, over in 2 Timothy? He said, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season.” Even preachers have an “out of season,” when their heart’s not on fire and zealous for the Lord and everything’s not wonderful, and they’re just kind of drudging through that thing. He said, “Hey, I want you to be instant in season, out of season.” What’s he saying? Give you a weather breastplate of righteousness. Do the right thing. Guide thine heart. Don’t let your heart guide you. You protect. You guide it.
There’s going to be times—hey, I love it when we’re excited about church, wonderful. But there’s going to be times you’re not going to be excited about church. There’s going to be times, man, you’re so hungry for the word and you want to read the word and you’re just ready to get in there. There’s going to be times you’re not so hungry to read the word. And yet you say, “You know what? That’s a way of life. I’m just doing the right thing,” and you put on the breastplate of righteousness, and it keeps your heart from getting a fatal wound to it; it keeps your heart from going all the way down there.
There used to be a magazine that went around the country for those that love the country or live in the country. I think it was Country. I haven’t seen that thing in a while. Miss Junie Fontaine used to get it, and I liked Country. She had brought them into me after she had finished them. She went through those things. And on the back, on the back of that magazine, it usually had a picture and a little saying there. And I’ll never forget one issue. It was like Amish, and they had the wagon, and they were going through the mud puddle. And the header over it said, “Never yell ‘Whoa!’ in the middle of a mud puddle.” That’s a little bit what he’s saying. Hey, you keep doing right in the middle of the mud puddle, and that protects your heart from getting fatally wounded, see? You’re wearing the breastplate of righteousness. You’re saying, “Hey, I’m going to do it, by the grace of God, I’m going to do what’s right to do, even when my heart’s not there like I wanted to be.” We’re wearing the breastplate of righteousness that will cause you to do the right thing even though you might lose a friend that’s got your heart a little bit, but you’re going to do the right thing. You’re wearing the breastplate of righteousness.
Wearing that breastplate of righteousness will make a man’s word as good or better than a legal document. Nowadays, you can break those legal documents, you know. I forget we had Roundup Sunday. You know, been here for Roundup Sunday before, the Walker family, and we have them sign waivers and whatnot. And the Walker family does that. Brother Walker said one time, we had CLA draw it up, whatnot. And he said, “Now, the CLA said it’s not going to save you. And if somebody really wants to sue you, whatever, it’s not going to save you. But don’t have to spend about $20,000 to get past it.” But they can get past it. And nowadays, you know, but if somebody’s wearing their breastplate of righteousness, their word is even better than a legal document, see? It’ll cause you to be like that, and that’s what God wants.
And it’ll save. I was so happy one time years ago, we went to Gatlinburg as a family. We had our little dog. She is now in dog heaven, if there is such a thing, you know. But we had a little dog, Belle, and a little Yorkie. And we were renting a cabin, and we had already lined it up and all that stuff. And we went there to get the key and all those things, and there was a sign saying, “Pets $50 extra.” Oh, you know, goodness gracious, we didn’t know that. We wouldn’t have brought up their stupid little bitty dog. I mean, it’s a wonderful little dog, you know. Fifty bucks, you know. And, you know, it’s a little dog. They never know that dog’s in there. You understand what I’m talking about? The devil lets you know that stuff. They were like, “Well, what are you going to do, Dad?” You know, and I went in there, I got the keys, signed all this stuff, and we came back out. I came back out, and the family’s in the car. “Did you tell them we got a pet?” “Of course not. That’s fifty bucks, man.” I did, and I was happy. My son said—and I don’t know how old he was, 12, 13, whatever—he said, “Dad, I know what you’re going to do. I knew you’d tell them.” And I was thankful. My son fought. He didn’t know how tempted I was, amen. But that’s…
And I don’t always have—not saying always—but he thought, well, Dad wears the breastplate of righteousness. Just doing the right thing. That’s what God wants, friend. That protects you when you’re getting attacked by the devil. How many Christians in our day and time are not wearing the breastplate of righteousness in the evil day when Satan attacks? They get wounded down deep, and they’re on the wayside of the Christian life, not living for the Lord.
Let me say this: Keep the breastplate of righteousness on even during difficult times. Job did. Job did. He did so good with it. I thought about Job a little bit, and I’m going to use this word, or the Bible uses the word, integrity. It’s very similar to righteousness over the Old Testament here. But Job, what a good, godly man he was. And, boy, he lost his children, and he lost his health, and he lost his finances and his employees and all that. And Job, he said, “You know what? I’m just going to keep my integrity,” if you will. He said, “I’m going to keep my breastplate on.” He said that several times, Job 2:3, Job 27:5. His friends were attacking him, and Bildad said—he said, “No, I’m going to keep my integrity.” You know, he said, “I’m going to keep my breastplate of righteousness on.” Did it hurt him? Yeah, but did it fatally wound him? No. No. That’s your breastplate of righteousness.
Look over if you will. You’re already there in Proverbs. Look over if you’re in Proverbs 4 and verse number 23. Proverbs 4 and verse number 23. What does it say right there? He says, “Keep thine heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.” How do you do that? Say, “You know, I don’t feel like it. I feel like I’m getting attacked.” But to the best of my ability, I’m just going to do the right thing. I’m going to keep the breastplate of righteousness on. That’ll keep you from the sword of the devil going all the way into your heart. It’ll protect you. You might not be advancing a whole lot in the evil day, but you notice what it says: the evil day when Satan’s attacking you, you stand. You don’t fall, you don’t give in, you don’t back up, you stand. How do you do that? Best of my ability is going to do the right thing when it’s easy? Yeah. When it’s hard? Yeah. That’s the breastplate of righteousness. That’s what God’s talking about when he says, “Put on what? Take unto you these things.”
Now, let’s get honest for just a second about it. Y’all still out there? Nobody’s perfect at it. Nobody’s perfect at it. Job, he passed the test. But was he perfect at it? Oh, no. Oh, no. Nobody is. And here’s a wonderful thing. We as born-again Christians, yes, God wants us to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and have our personal righteousness. But, hey, friend, when you’re not perfect, and you won’t be perfect, we still have the righteousness of Jesus on our account. By the way, I’m so thankful for that.
You see, I think he’s really talking here about when we’re not doing the right thing, how it contaminates our inner organs, our heart. And that’ll protect us, but sometimes, sometimes us as human beings, you know, we’re not going to have that perfectly on. So things get in there and contaminate our heart a little bit, and our heart gets out of whack, and what we allow in there begins to contaminate. Look over in 1 John 1:9. You know the verse, but let’s look at it one quickly thing here. It’s for born-again Christians when we don’t wear perfectly the breastplate of righteousness, and we all fail from time to time on that, and that old sin gets in there and it begins to contaminate.
I like this. You’ll know it, but I want you to see it real quickly here. First John 1, look in verse number 9, would you please there? First John 1, verse number 9. Notice what he says. He says, “If we confess.” Now, that confess has to do with us seeing it like God sees it. By the way, that’s so important. Maybe when you’re confessing your sin, say, “Lord, help me to see it like you see it.” To us it might be minute; we really don’t understand the root of it, but you begin to ask, “Lord, help me to see it like you said.” It’s amazing how sometimes we see our own personal sin a little different view. “If we confess our sins,” what does it say? “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us.” That’s that contamination that gets in our heart. “To cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
So when we don’t take the breastplate of righteousness as we ought, and Satan gets in past that to our vital organs, our heart, and it contaminates. I never forget years and years ago, we had a fellow, Kenny, in our church. I think we were in storefronts. And he had gotten a rare virus in his heart. It’s a crazy story. And I can’t remember the details; it was 20-plus years ago. He was in a country hospital way out, way out. And the family couldn’t get back in ICU. They wanted to get him out of that country hospital, get him up in a Centennial, St. Thomas Heart, where we got him up eventually at. And they couldn’t get back to ICU. They were letting him make the decision. So the family said, “Would you come out here?” And I went out in the middle of the night out there. I can’t even remember where it was, to be honest with you. And, of course, I got in ICU being a preacher, praise the Lord, convinced him to go. We got him up there to St. Thomas in Midtown there. And the boy got him in there. They said, “Man, you’re about to die.” And it just changed. He couldn’t work after that a full-time job. I’ve seen him years later; still just changed his whole life. But praise the Lord, God preserved him.
But when a virus gets in your heart and contamination gets in your heart, you know, He is faithful and just when we confess it, to forgive and to cleanse. That contamination that got in our heart, got in our vital organs, by the righteousness of Jesus in His shed blood, it can take the stain of sin. Don’t you like that song, “Jesus Paid It All”? All the hymn, I hope. “Sin had left its crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.”
Psalm 51. David, he didn’t wear that breastplate of righteousness, and, boy, sin had gotten in there, and, boy, it’s getting in his heart, contaminating it. And, boy, old Nathan, the preacher, said, “Hey, David, you sinned.” And David said, “You’re so right. You’re right.” And, boy, David’s getting right with God, Psalm 51. And in verse number seven, he said, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” He says, by the way, whiter than snow. You’ve heard me talk about it: they say every snowflake is formed around a dust or a little dirt particle, every one of them. That’s how you get a snowflake, and God says, “I’ll take away that little particle of stain inside your heart when you get the righteousness of Jesus, the shed blood of Jesus.”
I thought about it today. Years ago, we had a teenage young man over in Building A—it’s where the couples’ classroom is now; the teen room was in there at that time. We had a teenager climbing out of one of those windows. Come on, now, you were a teenager one day. Now, you’ve done stupid things, too, you know. And he did, and he broke the window accidentally, and it cut him pretty good on his wrist. Imagine you get cut on your wrist. Man, you’re just bleeding. And he came all the way across the parking lot, holding his wrist, just bleeding. He came in that side door, man, just bleeding at him. And he kind of ran over there. Maybe a couple people were over there, and right there on this side of the double doors, and he was just bleeding. He was standing there, all running to him, you know, and he’s bleeding. And we were concerned about him, I promise you, but we were like, “Hey, can you go a couple steps over, off the carpet, you know?” We were concerned about him, I promise you, friend. All right? And he did. We took him to the bathroom, cleaned him up, and all that stuff, and he got stitches and whatnot. But there was just a stain in the carpet back there.
And we seemed like we used every cleaner. Of course, we tried to get up what we could then, and then later on, our ladies and different people—I don’t know how many of us tried to clean it with all kind of cleaners. And it was interesting: when it was wet, you shampoo or whatever, you say, “Well, it looked clean.” But when it dried, there was still that stain of blood there. Just couldn’t get that up. And we tried every cleaner, every, you know, the upholstery cleaners and all the different things. And finally—it’s really interesting—when it was wet, man, I got it up. It’s clean, you know. And I did it a couple times, too. It’s up, everybody—you know, not everybody, but a lot of people tried to clean that thing—but when it dried, the stain was still there. By the way, that’s what sin does to our heart.
And somewhere along the line, we got the idea of hydrogen peroxide. Yeah, it’s amazing. We poured it on that carpet hole on there. And we really couldn’t see it when it was wet, but boy, it just started getting white, you know, right there where the blood was. That stain had been there for weeks. Well, that just brought it all out. You could see right where the blood was, and scrubbing a little bit with hydrogen peroxide. You know, it dried. Or like, “Oh, no, let’s see what happens when it dries,” because when it dries, it always came back. And praise the Lord, this stain was gone.
And that’s what the righteousness of Jesus does. Oh, yeah, you ought to put on personal righteousness, but you’re not going to be perfect. And when you’re not, you go back and plead the blood of Jesus, His righteousness and His shed blood. Would you wash away the stain of sin in my vital organ? Only the blood of Jesus takes away the stain of sin.
Original File: Pastor Paul Chisgar - ＂The Breastplate of Righteousness＂ - Sunday PM 03⧸02⧸2025 [XUo-_nKxDmk]