Last week we began our new series of messages called "Survivor." Based on Ephesians 6, these sermons are geared to help us understand that we are engaged in an all-out battle against the spiritual forces of evil in our world. We identified the enemy as Satan himself. Because of Jesus' death on the cross he is a defeated foe. But between now and the time Christ returns to this earth, the devil and his demon troops are on a no-holds-barred mission to destroy you. You and I, on the other hand, have a mission to carry out. God has called us to share the love of Christ and speak the truth everywhere we go. We are to engage Satan in battle even at the very gates of hell.

Satan is real and not just a symbol of evil. He develops strategies to discourage and defeat you. Thankfully, God has given us all the defensive mechanisms and weapons we need to be successful in these daily battles. But for us to be victorious, we must put on our full uniform.

Ruth Bell Graham, wife of Billy Graham, in an interview recalls an event when their son Franklin was a boy. He was sleeping on the front porch with his cowboy boots and toy gun. The family was having problems with some polecats, and Franklin told his mom not to worry because he had a gun. She said, "Franklin, it's just a toy gun." He responded with confidence, "That's okay, Momma, the polecats don't know that."

You can fool a polecat, but you cannot fool the devil. He is smarter than you. You can't go out to battle partially equipped. No, you need every piece. Every piece is critical if you're going to be standing firm and secure when the daily battles are over. Beginning in verse 14 we find a listing of the various pieces of the believer's armor. The pieces describe the armor worn by the Roman soldier. Today we will look at the first two pieces. We read about them in verse 14. [Read 10-14.]

"Know and Be." I know that is a strange, non-catchy title for a sermon. But it captures the essence of what these two uniform pieces mean. Let's jump in.

The first piece of armor is the belt of truth. The key word here is know. The older translations of the Bible read, "Having girded your loins with the belt of truth." I'm thankful for modern translations because I have a feeling that most of us don't know what gird and loins mean. For the Roman soldier the belt was an extremely important part of his armor. It held together his tunic.

To be prepared, he couldn't dress like many kids do today—the baggy look, two inches wider than the right size, where the pants droop down below where nobody wants to see. The guys are constantly pulling them up. For the Roman soldier, the belt held together the other vital pieces. Suspending from the belt was the scabbard which held his sword.

The Apostle Paul calls it the "belt of truth." I believe there are two things he had in mind when he said the "belt of truth." I believe he was saying we need to know the truth and we need to live truthful lives. Let's look at the latter one first.

We must live truthful lives. The opposite of truth is lie. The opposite of a truthful life is a life filled with lies. Jesus called Satan a liar (John 8:34). He knows the truth and he twists it around and tricks you into holding double standards in your life. On Sunday mornings you raise your hands in worship, you talk the talk of being a super Christian, then you go home after church and treat others in your family like they are the scum of the earth. You participate in the Bible study discussion as if you're a model Christian, then during the week you engage in stuff you know is a double standard. You're not wearing the belt of truth.

You may say, "I'm a truth teller. I don't have a problem with telling lies." The belt of truth means a lot more than just not telling lies, even though that certainly is a part of it. You may tell the truth, but the question is: Do you live the truth?

The word that best describes this teaching is integrity. Buckle the belt of integrity around your waist. Integrity means you're genuine. What you see on Sunday is what you see on Monday. Integrity means that your life is so above board that no one would question your reputation.

The second part of this piece of the uniform charges us to know the truth. Do you know what you believe? If not, why not? If not, how can you ever expect to be victorious against the evil forces of this world? Satan loves it when he sees believers stutter when someone challenges their faith. How can you say that Jesus is the only way to heaven? Why is the Bible any different from other religious books? How do you know that Jesus came back to life? Unfortunately, most believers don't have a clue how to answer these questions.

Many of you are thinking right now, "I'd love to be smart enough to handle those kinds of questions. I've been asked them before and had no idea how to respond." Can I let you in on a little secret? Knowing how to respond to these questions does not just come to you all of a sudden. Being prepared requires that you study. You will never be equipped with the belt of truth until you make a commitment to become a lifelong student of God's Word. In addition to the Bible, you need to read books that will help you firm up your foundation of beliefs. Read C.S. Lewis, Chuck Colson, Lee Strobel.

In today's world that preaches tolerance and attacks Christianity, it is more critical than ever that you develop a solid biblical worldview. Last week I mentioned a Barna Research Group study indicating that only 55% of Americans believe that Satan is real. Another Barna study cites more disturbing news. Americans were asked if they believe moral truth is based on absolute standards or is relative to the circumstances. Only about a third of Americans said there are moral absolutes. Another third said that moral truth is relative. Another third said they didn't know. So basically only one-third of our population believes that there is such a thing as right and wrong. Maybe just as disturbing is that only 70 percent of evangelical Christians believe in moral absolutes. Little wonder our nation's morality is crumbling at its foundations.

Fellow Christians, I call on you to step it up about fifty notches in your quest to strengthen your belief system. Don't cave into the world's system. You serve a God who has given us a book, the Bible, that is His Word, revealed truth. In it we learn what is right and what is wrong. We learn how we got here and where we're going after we die. We learn how God became human flesh in the person of His Son Jesus Christ.

Study so that you can know what you believe. When others talk about evolution, speak up and talk to them about creation. When they say abortion ought to be the choice of the mother, let them know that all of life is precious, even the life of the unborn. When they say that the Virgin Birth is scientifically impossible, agree with them, but let them know that the God who created the world in the first place is powerful enough to suspend the laws of nature if He so desires. When someone tries to tell you that the gay lifestyle is okay, beg to differ and let them know that all sexual relationships outside of marriage are wrong. When you hear someone say it doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are sincere, let them know that God has set up some standards of right and wrong no matter if you sincerely have a different opinion.

The belt of truth. Live the truth. Know the truth. Remember, the belt keeps the entire uniform secure and in place. You need the belt if you want to be standing when the daily battles are over.

The second piece of armor listed in verse 14 is the breastplate of righteousness. The key word here is be—be righteous. The Roman soldier's breastplate was made of metal plates or chains. It covered the body from the neck to the waist and also covered the back and front. This piece covered the vital organs. Without it the soldier became very vulnerable to deadly attacks.

When I think of the breastplate, I think of the part of the uniform that protects the heart. The Old Testament teaches, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23). That verse suggests the most important thing you can do is guard your heart.

The breastplate of righteousness. Let me explain this concept of righteousness from two angles. First, let's talk about positional righteousness. No one is righteous enough to earn enough points to get into heaven. Before you decided to be a Christ-follower, God looked at you and saw nothing but the filthiness of your sin. If you're not a Christian, even if you're a decent human being, God looks at your life and sees a person filled with ugly sin.

But the moment you give your life to Jesus Christ, there is an instant and dramatic change. No longer does He see all your sin. Instead He sees His own Son, who is perfectly righteous. This is what the Bible means when it says, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

So one thing the breastplate of righteousness teaches is your need to understand that, positionally, you are already righteous. I think Paul is saying, "When you go out to battle, don't forget that you are going out in the name of Christ. And maybe you need to remind Satan that you are righteous because Jesus has delivered you from all your sins."

The second angle I believe the breastplate teaches us is practical righteousness. This is the "BE" part of my sermon title. Know the truth. Be righteousness. It is not enough just to claim that you are positionally righteous in God's eyes. Live out your righteousness.

When we talked about living truthful lives earlier, I chose the word integrity to capture the essence of a truthful life. To capture the essence of a righteous life, let's use a single word. Before I give it to you, I want you to think of the most righteous person you know or know about, the most godly, religious person you're acquainted with. How would you describe that person? Honest, caring, joyful, friendly, trustworthy, kind. I wonder how many of you chose the word holy to describe that person. Probably none. Yet holiness is the key word which captures the essence of righteousness.

We shy away from this word because we picture a holy person as some monk or robed minister. Someone who is stale and no fun to be around. But that's not what it means at all. In fact, I have a feeling that most people think to be called holy would be an insult. Most believers don't understand the concept of holiness and, consequently, have no desire to pursue holiness. Only 46 percent of born again Christians believe that God has called them to a life of holiness. Yet the Bible says we need to be holy: "Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:24).

To be righteous is to be holy. It means that you are constantly pursuing God. It means that you're on a quest to become more and more like Jesus Christ. When I think of a holy person, I think of someone who demonstrates the qualities of the fruit of the Spirit: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23).

Know and be. Buckle the belt of truth around your waist. Live lives of integrity. Study so that you can know the truth. Put on the breastplate of righteousness. Know that in Christ God has already made you righteous. Now, be a righteous person. Strive for holiness. Righteousness is the supernatural result of one who's heart is completely sold out to Christ. So guard your heart.

While many cities and villages along the Indian Ocean suffered catastrophic losses from the December 2004 tsunami, the port city of Pondicherry, India, and its 300,000 inhabitants were spared. Just beyond the city limits, 600 people were killed by the devastating tidal wave, but Pondicherry withstood the tsunami. Why were they protected?

The answer began 250 years ago when France colonized the city. The French built a massive stone seawall. Year after year, the French continued to strengthen the wall, piling huge boulders along its 1.25-mile length. The French stopped building the wall in 1957, but their work prepared them for a disaster that would occur five decades in the future.

Now is the time you need to start putting on your spiritual armor. Day after day of spending time in God's Word, praying, resisting temptation, and building integrity and holiness into your life will equip you for the evil tsunamis that you will face. You can't wait until the battle floods come to prepare. No, you start today.