Belt of truth: Jesus is tempted
We’ve spent time learning about the battle we’re in and the strategies of our enemy. Now, it is time to get Battle Ready! According to our theme passage, we do this by putting on the armor of God.
Ephesians 6:10-13 | A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
For the rest of the summer, we’ll spend one week focusing on each piece of God’s armor, because this armor gives us the ability to stand firm against the strategies of our enemy. Remember his goal?
1st Peter 5:8-9a | Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.
When the enemy attacks, strategizing to blind the heart of the unbeliever, distract the believer, or thwart the spread of the Gospel, our theme passage explains the armor of God is what helps us stand firm.
Ephesians 6:15-17 | Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
The pieces of armor are:
Belt of truth
Breastplate (body armor) of righteousness
Shoes of peace (Good News)
Shield of faith
Helmet of salvation
Sword of the Spirit
For this week, let’s focus on the belt of Truth.
The job of a belt in a soldier’s armor was to keep everything “girded together” to allow the soldier to move freely without tripping over their armor and weapons. Jesus referenced the importance of being girded so that you’re ready to spring into action at the Lord’s return or when the Master calls (Luke 12:35-37).
For Roman soldiers, like those Paul may have been observing while writing Ephesians from prison, the belt also carried their weapons and bore some of the weight of their armor that would have otherwise rested fully on their shoulders, weighing them down in battle. Without a belt, they were weaponless and slow-moving, easy prey for enemy attacks.
According to Scripture, Jesus is THE Truth:
John 14:6 | Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
And God’s Word is Truth:
John 17:17 | Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.
But Satan is the opposite:
John 8:44b | He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
We’ve seen that Satan’s goal is to keep people from the Truth, and he distorts truth, like he did to Eve (Genesis 3:1-5), to trip people up, making them ineffective in the battle.
But Jesus said,
John 8:32 | And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
While Eve was tripped up by Satan in the Garden of Eden, Jesus provided an example of standing firm in the battle against Satan by wielding truth.
In Matthew 4, Jesus fasts in the wilderness for forty days and nights. He’s hungry, likely very tired, and even physically weak. He is ripe for Satan’s attack. Sure enough, the enemy shows up and tempts Jesus in three different ways.
First, he appeals to Jesus’ flesh, hoping Jesus will trip up by using His limitless power for His own selfish gain:
Matthew 4:3 | During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
Jesus combats this attack with truth:
Matthew 4:4 | But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
The truth of Scripture keeps Jesus from being tripped up by Satan, who is hoping that Jesus, in His state of weakness, will disqualify Himself from being the sinless Savior of the world.
Satan then appeals to Jesus’ pride, hoping Jesus will showboat His power for His own glory-
Matthew 4:5-6 | Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”
Again, Jesus stands firm through truth:
Matthew 4:7 | Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
Attacking one more time, tempting Jesus to fall prey to the lust of his eyes-
Matthew 4:8-9 | Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
Again, Jesus shows us that being able to stand firm in the truth of Scripture is what guards against the whispers of the enemy we saw in week four of our study-
Matthew 4:10 | “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”
Like we saw a few weeks ago, Satan attacks by appealing to the lust of our flesh, eyes, and pride (1 John 2:16); Jesus shows us that truth sets us free (John 8:32) from these attacks and helps us stand firm.
How do we dorn the belt of truth? By hiding God’s Word in our hearts, so like Jesus, it is on the tip of our tongue, ready for use in the heat of the battle-
Psalm 119:11 | I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Believer, are you digging into God’s Word, letting it transform your mind (Romans 12:1-2)? Are you meditating on it, memorizing it, and using it to keep your way pure (Psalm 1, Psalm 119)? Ephesians 4 tells us that maturing in this way as believers is what keeps us from being tripped up and tricked when the father of lies attacks-
Ephesians 4:14 | Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.
Proactively putting on the belt of truth each day by digging into the study of God’s Word lets you stand strong in God’s power. If you’re wearing the belt of truth, when the enemy attacks, the Holy Spirit will remind you of God’s Word (John 14:26) – the truth you’ve learned that decodes the enemy’s distortions (lies). Everyday, put on the belt of truth!
What is the truth referred to in the belt of truth?
How is the belt of truth ‘put on’?
In what three areas did Satan attack Jesus? How do these relate to the ways Satan attacks people today? [See 1st John 2:16 if unsure]
How did Jesus use truth to combat Satan’s attacks?
Why was this effective?
How can we use this same strategy today?