FINANCIAL INSTABILITY

 

I.               AWARENESS

Gen 41:35-36

And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. ³⁶ Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine.

 

Acts 11:27-30

And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸ Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. ²⁹ Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. ³⁰ This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul

 

 

II.              HISTORY OF MONEY IN NORTH AMERICA

1.     Wampum -  Shells Native Americans (Used because they were scarce – Only found on the seashores)

·      Dutch Colonist figured out a way to make them and harvest them so the abundance made them loose their value

 

2.     Continental Currency

The Continental Congress issued paper money that wasn't backed by anything. It was called the continental currency, and it was used to fund the war against England

 

Both, State and Continental currency depreciated rapidly, becoming, in effect, worthless by the end of the war. This depreciation was caused by the government, stemming from the printing of large amounts of currency, in their effort to meet the monetary demands of the war.

 

3.     Currency Backed by Metal.

 

•               The U.S. has officially been on the Gold Standard since 1900, when gold was established by law as the only metal for redeeming paper currency.

•               However, the gold standard had been unofficially in effect far before that, since 1834.

•               When gold prices increased people started hording gold. Franklin Delano Roosevelt F.D.R did, closed the banks to try to stop this run on gold reserves. He then ordered Americans to get rid of all their gold, he said, if you have any gold, you need to exchange it for US dollars.

•               In 1934 the Gold Reserve Act made it illegal for us citizens to hold gold. Govt would hold it and issues dollars against it

 

4.     Bretton Woods

At a famous hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, when all of the held in 1944. They got together to establish sort of a new world currency agreement, which is called the Bretton Woods system. various major economies and their currencies were basically fixed to the dollar or pegged to the dollar.

 

5.     Loss of the Gold Standard

The US ended up cheating and printing many more dollars than they had gold to back it. By 1971, it became clear to the world that the US did not have enough gold to pay everyone back if they came and brought their US dollars to Fort Knox. So what Nixon did is cancel the convertibility of the US dollar to gold. So as of 1971, you could no longer bring your US dollars and trade them in for gold. End of the Gold Standard

 

6.     Petrodollar Standard (Oil Standard)

 

You needed us Dollars to buy oil. So countries needed dollars to buy oil.

This created an unnatural demand for US dollars which helped prop it up as the world currency

 

7.     Massive Inflation and Paul Volker

 

When we left the gold standard things went crazy. Inflation went to almost 15%.  Paul Volcker chairman of the Federal Reserve Boards raised prime rates to 21% in 1981to kill inflation. Triggered a major recession. In 70’s 

 

8.     Falling Interest Rates Ever Since

 

Whenever there is a problem in the economy or stock market the fed lowers interest rates to try and stimulate the economy

 

·      Bear Market 2000 to 2002 (Over valuation and 911) – Fed cut rates to 1%

 

·      Bull market 2002 to 2007 – (Had raised rates to about 5.25)

 

·      Housing Crisis 2007 and 2009 – Housing Bubble Popped and almost brought down the whole financial system.  Banks were insolvent Rates close to zero plus.

 

The Subprime Mortgage Crisis

·      The subprime mortgage is a home loans granted to borrowers with poor credit history

 

·      There was a housing boom in the US in the early to mid 2000’s. Housing prices continued to rise in Europe and the US, so institutions acquired thousands of risky mortgages in bulk. (These were in the form of mortgage back securities). They were trying to make a quick buck.

 

·      In February 2007 the Federal home loan mortgage corporation (Freddie Mac) announced it would no longer purchase risky subprime mortgage is our mortgage related securities.

 

·      In April 2007 the subprime mortgage lender New Century financial declared bankruptcy in April 2007

 

·      In August 2007 American Home Mortgage Investment Corporation entered chapter 11 bankruptcy.

 

·      Standard & Poor’s and Moody‘s credit rating services announced their intention to reduce the ratings on more than 100 bars back by second lien subprime mortgages. SNP also placed more than 600 securities backed by the subprime residential mortgages on credit watch.

 

·      Housing prices begin to fall putting millions of homeowners under water

 

·      Stock market hit a high October 9, 2007 when the Dow Jones industrial average exceeded 14,000 for the first time in history. After that, things begin to plunge rapidly. The Dow lost 6547 points over the next 18 months. And Americans lost about $14 trillion of their net worth.

 

·      The Feds reduce the interest rates from 5.25% to zero for the first time in history.

 

·      In February 2008 George W. Bush signed The Economic Stimulus Act into law. Americans got a check between $600-$1200. He also increased loan limits for Federal home loan programs like Freddie Mae and Freddie Mac hoping to stimulate the housing market. These didn’t work.

 

·      In March 2008 investment banking giant Bear Stearns collapsed due to subprime mortgages. JP Morgan Chase bought them got a cut right price.

 

·      Few months later Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy creating the largest bankruptcy in US history.

 

·      A few days after the Fed agreed to lend the insurance and investment company AIG 85 billion so I can remain afloat. They said that it was too big to fail and I would further hurt the US economy

 

·      The government then approved TARP the Troubled Asset Relief Program. This provided the US government with $700 billion in funds to purchase the assets of struggling companies to keep them in business. The government thought to sell them at a later date hopefully for profit

 

·      The US government then spent billions acquiring assets from nine US banks.  Banks like JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley And even bailed out General Motors in Chrysler and Bank of America.

 

·      January 2009 President Barack Obama became president. In his first few weeks he signed a second stimulus package into law marking 787 billion for tax cuts as well as spending on infrastructure, schools, healthcare and green energy

 

 

9.     Quantitative Easing

Fed prints money to buy things.  They brought these bad mortgages. Brought stock in some companies.

 

                        Problem is it props up asset prices making the rich richer and the poor poorer.   

 

10.  Fiat System

 

Fiat in Latin means just let there be, as in Fiat looks, let there be light. Fiat money is just paper money that governments can print and make as much money as they wanted

 

And so we're on this crazy treadmill mill where the fed has to continue to try to prop up asset prices, but they can't do it anymore by lowering interest rates. They can only do it by expanding the balance sheet, which means printing money out of nowhere and using it to buy things

 

 

11.  US Govt. Condition

 

·      Deficit is made up by borrowing money

·      Govt. Borrows money by issuing debt called treasury securities

·      They sell these and people give them cash, they hold them and Govt. pays their money back plus interest (Very little interest these days)

·      They have so much debt not enough people are buying it

The US Central Bank also called the Federal Reserve prints money out of thin air and buys the treasuries

·      Problem – The more dollars you print the less value they have

·      The U S currency is going to be devalued by all of this, which means things like gold. They're going to go up. Things like stocks will probably go up. And things like Bitcoin will go up.

·      Inflation (CPI 2%. Real is way higher)

 

In 2020, the government spent $6.55 trillion.

In 2020, the government collected $3.42 trillion in revenue.

The Budget deficit was 3.13 trillion dollars

 

12.  Danger of losing Reserve Currency Status

China, Russia, Emerging Super powers

 

·      Russia removing dollar assets from it’s National wealth fund

-       It’s a fund funded by oil revenue in Russia

-       Currently has about 35% of it’s funds in dollars

 

·      Russia had a gentleman’s agreement with China. They sell us goods and China takes those profits and reinvest it back into US economy by buying US treasuries. China stopped doing this a few years ago

 

·      Middle East Oil Producers would sell oil to the US (and other countries) for dollars then recycle those dollars back into the US buying treasuries and US Stocks, US Govt Bonds and US Real Estate. 

 

III.            WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

 

1.     Engage in Kingdom Hedging

Matthew 6:19-21

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

 

Phil 4:15-17

Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. ¹⁶ For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. ¹⁷ Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.

 

Mark 10:28-31

Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” ²⁹ So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, ³⁰ who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. ³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last first

 

2.     Develop a small emergency savings

$1000.00

 

3.     Retire Debt

Borrow money to make money not to lose it.

 

If you pay just the minimum due each month on an $8,400 credit balance, you will wind up having to make 365 monthly payments before it goes to zero. That’s thirty years and five months’ worth of payments.

 

i.               Stop digging the hole

ii.              Find out how much interest you are paying

iii.             Ask for a lower rate 

iv.             Consolidate your debt

v.              Rank your cards

·      Make a list of the current outstanding balances on each of your credit card accounts. 

·      Divide each balance by the minimum payment that particular card to get a payment ranking number.

·      For example, a card with a $500 balance and a minimum payment due of $50 will have a rank # of 10. 

·      Start paying card with lowest Rank Number first. 

4.     Save a Minimum of 3 to 6 Months Income

5.     Own Assets

a.     Buy a Home

Benefits of Home Ownership

Forced Savings

OPM

Tax Breaks

Pride of Ownership

It’s a Great Investment

TIPS

·      Go to www.eloan.com and calculate how much you can afford to spend on a home

According to the FHA, a good rule of thumb is that most people can afford to spend 29 percent of their gross income on housing expenses—as much as 41 percent if they have no debt

·      Decide to pay off early by making extra payment a year or increase your mortgage by 10% each month, 

·      Go to www.bankrate.com and use its calculator to see how much you can save by making your mortgage payments biweekly

 

b.     Own other Real Estate

c.     Invest in Stocks 

 

The S&P 500 Index originally began in 1926 as the "composite index" comprised of only 90 stocks.1 According to historical records, the average annual return since its inception in 1926 through 2018 is approximately 10%–11%.

 

d.     Learn About Other Assets (i.e. Crypto Currency)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

RACE, RACISM AND HATRED PT. 2

INTRODUCTION

The church was designed to be on the forefront of the conversations about race. The church

has been called to speak out against oppression, defend the marginalized, live as peacemakers

and lead their communities in reconciliation and transformative change. 

I. ORIGINAL SIN

Romans 5:12

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin,

and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.

Psalm 51:5

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me

Romans 3:23

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

1. Shame 

2. Division and Hatred

 Casting of Personal Responsibility through blame

Genesis 3:8-13 (Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the Serpent)

 Jealousy and Murder

Genesis 6:5-8 (Cain killed Abel)

There is a connection between sin and the creation (structures and systems)

II. Individual sin produces structural/systemic sin

1. Historical Manifestations of Structural Sin

a. Pre-Flood; Gen 6:5-8

b. Apartheid

c. Holocaust 

d. Rwanda Genocide 

e. Slavery

f. Jim Crow

CRIMINAL JUSTICE INJUSTICES

Today, people of color makeup 37% of the U.S. population but 67% of the prison

population. 

■ Overall, African Americans are more likely than white Americans to be

arrested; once arrested, they are more likely to be convicted; and once

convicted, they are more likely to face stiff sentences. 

■ Black men are six times as likely to be incarcerated as white men and Hispanic

men are more than twice as likely to be incarcerated as non-Hispanic white men.

I do not agree with Tim Scott and Candace Owens that there is no racism in America…

Neither do I agree with Louis Farrakhan or Gloria Watkins

Gloria Watkins, is better known by her nom de plume “bell hooks.”

She is former Yale faculty, distinguished professor of English at City College of New York, hailed as “the most prominent exponent of black feminism” by the New York Review of Books,

The plane intercom requests that K make her way to the front of the cabin to have her ticket inspected, revealing that her first-class upgrade wasn’t properly processed and she must relocate to coach. An “anonymous white male” with the first-class ticket replaces K. He apologizes for the inconvenience. Here is what bell hooks has to say:

I stare him down with rage, tell him I do not want to hear his liberal apologies, his repeated insistence that “it was not his fault.” I am shouting at him that it is not a question of blame, that the mistake was understandable, but that the way K was treated was completely unacceptable, that it reflected both racism and sexism. . . . I let him know he had an opportunity to not be complicit with the racism and sexism that is so all pervasive in this society. . . . I felt a “killing rage.” I wanted to stab him softly, to shoot him with the gun I wished I had in my purse. And as I watched his pain, I would say to him tenderly “racism hurts.” . . . As though I were the black nightmare that haunted his dreams, he seemed to be waiting for me to strike, to be the fulfillment of his racist imagination. I leaned toward him with my legal pad and made sure he saw the title written in bold print: “Killing Rage.”

III. BIBLICAL WAYS TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST SIN AND/OR RACISM

1. Transformation of the human heart through the gospel

Ephesians 5:8-9

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children

of light 9  (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth)

Ephesians 2:1-10

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2  in which you

once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the

power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3  among

whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the

desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just

as the others. 4  But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with

which He loved us, 5  even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive

together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6  and raised us up together,

and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7  that in the ages

to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward

us in Christ Jesus. 8  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not

of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9  not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10  For

we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God

prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

John Perkins

I was born on a Mississippi cotton plantation in 1930. My mother died of

nutrition deficiency when I was just seven months old. My big brother, a World

War II veteran, was gunned down by a town marshal when I was seventeen

years old. As a civil rights activist, I was jailed and beaten nearly to death by

police. They tortured me without mercy, stuck a fork up my nose and down my

throat, then made me mop up my own blood. I have known injustice. It would

have been the easiest thing in the world for me to answer hate with hate. But

God had another plan for my life, a redemptive plan. Jesus saved me. He saved

me from my sin. He saved me from what could have easily become a life of

hatred and resentment. He saved me by his amazing grace. And it’s by that same

grace that I have spent the last sixty years with my wife, Vera Mae, confronting

injustice.

Through my sixty years of working for justice, I offer four admonishments to the

next generation of justice seekers.

First, start with God! God is bigger than we can imagine. We have to align

ourselves with his purpose, his will, his mission to let justice roll down, and bring

forgiveness and love to everyone on earth.

Second, be one in Christ! Christian brothers and sisters—black, white, brown,

rich, and poor—we are family.

Third, preach the gospel! The gospel of Jesus’s incarnation, his perfect life, his

death as our substitute, and his triumph over sin and death is good news for

everyone. It is multicultural good news. In the blood of Jesus, we are able to truly

see ourselves as one race, one blood.

Fourth and finally, teach truth! Without truth, there can be no justice. And what

is the ultimate standard of truth? It is not our feelings. It is not popular opinion.

It is not what presidents or politicians say. God’s Word is the standard of truth.

Williams, Thaddeus J. Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth (p. xvi).

Zondervan Academic. Kindle Edition.

1. Discipling of the people into mature disciples

Matthew 28:19-20

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of

the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  teaching them to observe all

things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end

of the age.

Luke 9: 52-54

And sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of

the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53  But they did not receive Him, because His

face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54  And when His disciples James and

John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down

from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did.

1. Personally, break passed the boundaries of any limiting system

Isaiah 54:1-5

“Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud,

You who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate

Than the children of the married woman,” says the Lord. 2 “Enlarge the place of

your tent And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare;

Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes. 3 For you shall expand to the

right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make

the desolate cities inhabited. 4 “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;

Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the

shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood

anymore. 5 For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And

your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth

Ex.  2018 US Census Bureau whites ranked 16 th in Median Household Income

by selected Ancestry groups

Indians, Taiwanese, Lebanese, Turkish, Chinese, Iranian, Japanese, Pakistani,

Filipino, Indonesian, Syrian, Korean, Ghanaian, Nigerian, Guyanese earned

more than whites.  

1. Entering into unjust systems and changing what you can (if you are called)

Matthew 28:18-20

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19  Go therefore and

make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of

the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  teaching them to observe all things that I have

commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

2 Corinthians 10:4-6

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the

pulling down of strong holds;) 5  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing

that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity

every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6  And having in a readiness to revenge

all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. KJV

 

1. Praying  

1 Peter 2:1-2

Therefore, I exhort first of all those supplications, prayers, intercessions, and

giving of thanks be made for all men, 2  for kings and all who are in authority, that

we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

2 Chronicles 7:14

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and

seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and

will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Acts 12:1-11

Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from

the church. 2  Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. 3  And

because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter

also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. 4  So when he had arrested

him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep

him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. 5  Peter was

therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the

church. 6  And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was

sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before

the door were keeping the prison. 7  Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by

him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised

him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. 8  Then the angel

said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to

him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” 9  So he went out and followed him,

and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was

seeing a vision. 10  When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they

came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own

accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel

departed from him. 11  And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know

for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand

of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people

1. Lovingly but firmly confront individuals and systems with a goal towards reconciliation

2 Timothy 2:25

In humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant

them repentance, so that they may know the truth

Since injustice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere as MLK Jr. wisely

stated, we must at times take both indirect and direct action against what does

not line up with the heart and the Word of God. The tension produced by

confrontation is sometimes essential. Jesus did not just come to bring pseudo

peace but authentic peace. Sometimes authentic peace is through conflict. 

When we must confront our method, that is what makes a world of difference.

Our methods of confrontation may range from verbal to non-violent resistance.

But they must be laced with love and garnished with humility. Anything other

than this frequency will produce a dissonant chord.  

1. Keep your heart with all diligence

Proverbs 4:23

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life

Matthew 7:3-5

And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the

plank in your own eye? 4  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the

speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5  Hypocrite! First

remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove

the speck from your brother’s eye

The best way to keep your heart with all diligence is to forgive…

Dylann Roof’s racist shooting spree left nine precious black people dead at 

Emanuel Church in Charleston in 2015.  Those who lost loved ones to Roof’s

racial hatred responded with forgiveness: 

You took something really precious from me. I will never talk to her ever again. I

will never be able to hold her again, but I forgive you and have mercy on your

soul.

—daughter of shooting victim Ethel Lance

I’ve realized that forgiving is so much tougher than holding a grudge. It takes a

lot more courage to forgive than it does to say, “I’m going to be upset about

whatever forever.” . . . After seeing how people could forgive, I truly hope that

people will see that it wasn’t just us saying words. I know, for a fact, that it was

something greater than us, using us to bring our city together.

—son of shooting victim Sharonda Hughes-Singleton 

I would just like him to know that . . . I forgive him and my family forgives him.

But we would like him to take this opportunity to repent. Repent. Confess. Give

your life to the one who matters most: Christ. So that he can change him and

change your ways, so no matter what happens to you, you’ll be okay.

—relative of shooting victim Myra Thompson 

I acknowledge that I am very angry. But one thing that DePayne always enjoined

in our family . . . is she taught me that we are the family that love built. We have

no room for hating, so we have to forgive.

—sister of shooting victim DePayne Middleton Doctor 

1. Esteem others as better than you are

Philippians 2:3-4

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind

let each esteem others better than himself. 4  Let each of you look out not only for

his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Seeking the best interest of others is a superior way to live. It will rank you as a

Captain in the Army Faith.  Esteeming others as better than you are, that’s at

least Brigadier General capacity.  

When the value of your fellow human is higher than that of yourself, respect will

automatically follow. There is a certain dignity you will assign to them that will

break stereo types and mend offenses. Instead of devaluing an individual based

on the ethnic group they are assigned as some theories do, you value them

based on the image they bear.  We are all stamped with the image and likeness

of God. Some say the best view is from the top, I believe it’s from the bottom. 

When I lower myself to raise you up, I am never more clear.  I can see what’s

wrong with you, but it doesn’t blind me to what is good in you. 

1. Recognize the high place of being in Christ 

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to

those who are the called according to His purpose

God is helplessly redemptive. He can’t help himself. Everything in Him tends

toward redemption to such a degree that nothing can happen to you that He will

not work out for your good. Nothing!  This verse is not qualified by whether the

events were good or bad.  All things mean everything.  The worst pain your

enemies can assign can result in the greatest progress, if you are in Christ. This

actually means you cannot lose.  Even if you lose the game, you win the series. 

You are already in a majority through Christ.  You are literally winning all the

time. God will ultimately turn every curve ball into a grand slam in your life. You

must not accept the victim or oppressed status. You are liberated. You are not

free due to outward circumstances, but because of inward reality.  I AM lives in

you. How can you be under?

1. Set your hope on the coming utopia 

1 Peter 1:13

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon

the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ

We live in such an unjust broken world.  The fall of man and the ensuing sinful

nature humanity inherited has produced a viral strain of division that is

constantly mutating. As a result of the depravity of man, I fear that if we had the

pill that totally solved the racial divisiveness across the globe, the virus would

still emerge in classism, sexism or some other “ism”. Scripture reveals that things

will not be perfected until Jesus returns and sets up His Kingdom. It is then we

will experience true earthly justice before tasting heavenly eternal justice. The

Prophet Isaiah writing of Jesus declared “He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till

He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law.

(Isaiah 42:4). 

We must still fight for every form of true justice we can attain on this earth.  God

wants earth as it is in Heaven.  But lest we become weary and worn, know that

the bell will ring soon, and the winner of the fight will be Jesus. He will get the

champion’s belt and if faithful, we the victors will receive our crown. 

Stick with the Biblical Solutions and resist any other system.  It will be worth it

temporally and eternally. 

NOTES

1  Elahe Izadi, “The Powerful Words of Forgiveness Delivered to Dylann Roof by

Victims’ Relatives,” Washington Post, June 19, 2015,

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/06/19/hate-

wont-win-the-powerful-words-delivered-to-dylann-roof-by-victims-relatives/.

2  Izadi, “The Powerful Words of Forgiveness.”

3 Izadi, “The Powerful Words of Forgiveness.”

4 Izadi, “The Powerful Words of Forgiveness.”

RACE, RACISM AND HATRED

 RACE, RACISM AND HATRED

INTRO

The church was designed to be on the forefront of the conversations about race. The church

has been called to speak out against oppression, defend the marginalized, live as peacemakers

and lead their communities in reconciliation and transformative change. The issue of race is

rooted in a bigger issue of sin in the human heart

I. ORIGINAL SIN

Rom 5:12

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and

thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.

Psalm 51:5

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me

Rom 3:23

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Ex. Depravity of Humanity (Pig will be a Pig)

1. Shame

Gen 3:7

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were

naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings

2. Division and Hatred

 Casting of Personal Responsibility through blame

Gen 3:8-13 (Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the Serpent)

 Jealousy and Murder

Gen 6:5-8 (Cain killed Abel)

 The World System

Gen 3:17-19

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife and

have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not

eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the

days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and

you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat

bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; For dust you

are, and to dust you shall return.”

There is a connection between sin and the creation (structures and systems)

II. Individual Sin vs Structural Sin

Lam 5:7

Our fathers sinned and are no more, but we bear their iniquities.

Ezek. 18:1-8

The word of the LORD came to me again, saying, 2  “What do you mean when you use

this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying: ‘The fathers have eaten sour

grapes, And the children’s teeth are set on edge’? 3  “As I live,” says the Lord GOD,

“you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel. 4 “Behold, all souls are Mine, The soul

of the father. As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die. 5 But

if a man is just And does what is lawful and right; 6 If he has not eaten on the

mountains, Nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, Nor defiled his

neighbor’s wife, Nor approached a woman during her impurity; 7 If he has not

oppressed anyone, But has restored to the debtor his pledge; Has robbed no one by

violence, But has given his bread to the hungry And covered the naked with clothing;

8 If he has not exacted usury Nor taken any increase, But has withdrawn his hand

from iniquity And executed true judgment between man and man

Ex. If Cain were Mayor how would his policies affect Abel

Anything that simply blames a system but totally removes the possibility of

individual culpability is wrong and unbiblical

1. Historical Manifestations

a. Pre-Flood

Gen 6:5-8

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and

that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6  And

the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved

in His heart. 7  So the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from

the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air,

for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8  But Noah found grace in the eyes of

the LORD

b. Aztec’s Atrocities

c. Romans and Greeks Barbaric Influences

d. Slavery

e. Apartheid

f. Holocaust

g. Rwanda Genocide

h. Jim Crow

i. Racial Conflict

III. EFFORTS AT ATTEMPTING TO BRING CHANGE

1. Humanistic Methods

Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the potential and

agency of human beings, individually and socially. It considers human

beings as the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.

Humanists believe that human experience and rational thinking provide

the only source of both knowledge and a moral code to live by. They reject

the idea of knowledge 'revealed' to human beings by God, gods, or in

special books.

Science, Advancements and technology…The best of humanity can reform us

Psalm 14:1

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have

done abominable works, There is none who does good

2. Communist Marxist Efforts

Karl Marx studied philosophy at the University of Berlin and received a doctorate

from the University of Jena in 1841, He then turned to journalism, where his

investigations disclosed what he perceived as systematic injustice and corruption

at all levels of German society.

Views so radical resulted in him being forced vacate to Paris where he met

Frederich Engels.

Appalled by the poverty and squalor in which ordinary workers lived and worked

Marx and Engels maintained that the poverty, disease, and early death that

afflicted the proletariat, (the industrial working class) were endemic to

capitalism: they were systemic and structural problems that could be resolved

only by replacing capitalism with communism.

Under this alternative system, the major means of industrial production—such

as mines, mills, factories, and railroads—would be publicly owned and operated

for the benefit of all.

Marx laid the theoretical foundations of communism, first in German Ideology

(written 1845–46, published 1932) and later in Das Kapital (1867; Capital). His

theory has three main aspects: first, a materialist conception of history; second,

a critique of capitalism and its inner workings; and third, an account of the

revolutionary overthrow of capitalism and its eventual replacement by

communism.

Marx held that human history had progressed through a series of stages, from

ancient slave society through feudalism to capitalism. In each stage a dominant

class uses its control of the means of production to exploit the labour of a larger

class of workers. But internal tensions or “contradictions” in each stage

eventually lead to the overthrow and replacement of the ruling class by its

successor. Thus, the bourgeoisie overthrew the aristocracy and replaced

feudalism with capitalism. Marx predicted, the proletariat overthrow the

bourgeoisie and replace capitalism with communism.

Marx acknowledged that capitalism was a historically necessary stage of

development that had brought about remarkable scientific and technological

changes—changes that greatly increased aggregate wealth by extending

humankind’s power over nature. The problem, Marx believed, was that this

wealth—and the political power and economic opportunities that went with

it—was unfairly distributed

There is a dominant ideology pervasive through all society and even the inferior

class embraces it.

False consciousness makes them embrace this. The number one false

consciousness is religion. Marx called it “the opiate of the people”

Marx believed that capitalism is a volatile economic system that will suffer a

series of ever-worsening crises, recessions and depressions - that will produce

greater unemployment, lower wages, and increasing misery among the industrial

proletariat. These crises will convince the proletariat that its interests as a class

are implacably opposed to those of the ruling bourgeoisie. Armed with

revolutionary class consciousness, the proletariat will seize the major means of

production along with the institutions of state power— police, courts, prisons,

and so on—and establish a socialist state that Marx called “the revolutionary

dictatorship of the proletariat. The proletariat will thus rule in its own class

interest, as the bourgeoisie did before, in order to prevent a counterrevolution

by the displaced bourgeoisie. Once this threat disappears, however, the need

for the state will also disappear. Thus, the interim state will wither away and

be replaced by a classless communist society. 1

Won’t happen. It will simply cause the proletariat to become the bourgeoisie.

Other branches of the same root

a. Liberation Theology

b. Black Liberation Theology

c. Critical Theory

d. Critical Race Theory

1. Paul the Apostle and James Cone

Jewish Oppression: Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, and

now Romans. They were banished from Rome two hundred years ago and

tried again thirty years ago. Romans have invaded occupied Jerusalem. The

Roman taxation system kept many Jews poor.

Here’s What Paul does not say…

Look at all the horrors Roman and Greek Ancestors unleashed on the Jews.”

He does not say, “Jewish believers, wake up to the fact that the gentiles have

long oppressed you and that they are presently benefitting from all that

injustice.”

Ex. He understood such language would pit one group against another and it

would split the church.

a. He declared sin is everyone’s issue not just the dominant race

Romans 3:9

What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have

previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin

Romans 3:10-12

As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none

who understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all

turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none

who does good, no, not one.

No ethnic or religious group identity can absolve anyone from evil.

“For there is no distinction”—meaning no difference between one

people group and another—“for all have sinned and fall short of the

glory of God.”

b. Second, Paul declared that being “in Christ Jesus” is a new identity

that transcends other group identities.

Gal 3:26-28

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27  For as many

of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28  There is

neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither

male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

In Christ, ethnic enemies become family, oppressed and oppressors

become brothers and sisters, and privileged and underprivileged

become siblings under the same all-loving Father.

Ex. Ted Vail

c. Third, Paul declared that God alone can absolve us of sin through

what Jesus did on the cross.

Eph 2:13-14

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought

near by the blood of Christ. 14  For He Himself is our peace, who has

made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation

Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ

Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the

Spirit

Romans 8:33-34

Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

34  Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is

also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes

intercession for us

Contrast Paul’s approach with that of James Cone the father of black liberation

theology. This was his understanding of reconciliation.

When whites undergo the true experience of conversion wherein they die to

whiteness and are reborn anew in order to struggle against white oppression

and for the liberation of the oppressed, there is a place for them in the black

struggle of freedom. Here reconciliation becomes God’s gift of blackness through

the oppressed of the land. But it must be made absolutely clear that it is the

black community that decides both the authenticity of white conversion and also

the part these converts will play in the black struggle for freedom. The converts

can have nothing to say about the validity of their conversion experience or what

is best for the community or their place in it, except as permitted by the

oppressed community itself. . . . White converts, if there are any to be found,

must be made to realize that they are like babies who have barely learned to

walk and talk. . . . They must be told when to speak and what to say, otherwise

they will be excluded from our struggle. . . . Unless whites can get every single

black person to agree that reconciliation is realized, there is no place

whatsoever for white rhetoric about the reconciling love of blacks and whites. .

. . Just because we work with them and sometimes worship alongside them

should be no reason to claim that they are truly Christians and thus part of our

struggle.” 2

2. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X

IV. BIBLICAL WAYS TO AFFECT THE SYSTEM OF SIN

a. Transformation of the human Heart through the gospel

Romans 8:18-22

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be

compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19  For the earnest

expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God

20  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who

subjected it in hope 21  because the creation itself also will be delivered from the

bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22  For we

know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until

now.

Earnest Expectation – apokaradokia - A watching with the head erect and

outstretched. Hence a waiting in suspense

In Gen 3:17 – Creation suffered. The systems were tainted by man’s sin

Manifestation - is apokalupsis (ἀποκαλυψις), “an uncovering, a laying bare

the non-rational creation, subject to the curse put upon it because of man’s sin,

is expectantly waiting for the glorification of the saints, that it also may be

delivered from the curse under which it now exists.

This has a future and present meaning. The sons of God can now manifest and

make a difference in creation

Aztec’s Atrocities

Romans and Greeks Barbaric Influences

Slavery

Holocaust

Apartheid

Rwanda Genocide

Jim Crow

Racial Conflict

The influence of Christ has conquered these systems.

b. Discipling of the people into mature disciples

Matthew 28:19-20

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of

the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  teaching them to observe all

things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end

of the age.

c. Entering into unjust systems and changing what you can (If you are called)

Matthew 28:18-20

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19  Go therefore and

make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of

the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20  teaching them to observe all things that I have

commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age

d. Praying. Ex. At rally we ain’t praying we have prayed long enough

1 Peter 2:1-2

Therefore, I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and

giving of thanks be made for all men, 2  for kings and all who are in authority, that

we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence

2 Chron 7:14

if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and

seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and

will forgive their sin and heal their land

e. Nonviolent Resistance

f. Embracing individual responsibility

Matthew 7:5

And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the

plank in your own eye? 4  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the

speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5  Hypocrite! First

remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove

the speck from your brother’s eye

Ex. Projects I grew up in and Grace Church School

Some proponents of modern day racial conflict theory believe that a minority

group cannot be racist because they are not in power. Just as cancer in any

group is cantankerous, hatred and bigoted attitudes in any group is destructive.

Hatred anywhere is just as bad as hatred everywhere. Allowing the x-ray of

honesty to reveal it in our hearts is a step towards reconciliation

g. As much as you can live at peace with all

Rom 12:18

  If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men

We are to seek peace, not disunity or division. If conflict comes to us, we can’t

help that but we are not to be the initiators of conflict. In this I do not say we are

not to fight against wrong laws, or unjust standards. But when we do our aim

should be peace as children of the Prince of Peace. Some Alternate Theories in

their essence sets people against each other based on skin color and class

distinctions. It doesn’t result in peace. Our end goal should be peace not simply a

reversal of position.

h. Esteem others as better than you are

Phil 2:3-4

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind

let each esteem others better than himself. 4  Let each of you look out not only for

his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

Seeking the best interest of others is a superior way to live. It will rank you as a

Captain in the Army faith. Esteeming others as better than you are…that’s at

least Brigadier General capacity.

When the value of your fellow human is higher than that of yourself respect will

automatically follow. There is a certain dignity you will assign to them that will

break stereo types and mend offenses. Instead of devaluing an individual based

on the ethnic group they are assigned as some theories do, you value them

based on the image they bear. We are all stamped with the image and likeness

of God. Some say the best view is from the top I believe it’s from the bottom.

When I lower myself to raise you up I am never more clear. I can see what’s

wrong with you but it doesn’t blind me to what is good in you.

i. Recognize the high place of being in Christ

Rom 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to

those who are the called according to His purpose

God is helplessly redemptive…He can’t help himself. Everything in Him tends

towards redemption to such a degree that nothing can happen to you that He

will not work out for your good. Nothing! This verse is not qualified by whether

the events were good or bad. All things means everything. The worst pain your

enemies can assign can result in the greatest progress if you are in Christ. This

actually means you cannot loose. Even if you lose the game, you win the series.

My concern with Some racial Theories is they constantly remind you of victim

status. Every person of the dominant race is overtly or complicitly oppressing

you and you are hopelessly oppressed by it unless you become the majority. I

disagree with this strongly. I You are already in a majority through Christ. You

are literally winning all the time. God will ultimately turn every curve ball into a

grand slam in your life. You must not accept the victim or oppressed status…You

are liberated. You are not free due to outward circumstances but because of

inward reality. I AM lives in you. How can you be under?

j. Lovingly confront individuals and systems with a goal towards reconciliation

2 Tim 2:25

in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant

them repentance, so that they may know the truth

Since injustice anywhere is a threat to injustice everywhere as MLK Jr. wisely

stated. We must at times take both indirect and direct action against what does

not line up with the heart and the Word of God. The tension produced by

confrontation is sometimes essential. Jesus did not just come to bring pseudo

peace but authentic peace. Sometimes authentic peace is through conflict.

When we must confront our method is what will make a world of difference. Our

methods of confrontation may range from verbal to non-violent resistance. But

they must be laced with love and garnished with humility. Anything other than

this frequency will produce a dissonant chord. Some racial theories do not hope

to bring peace through reconciliation. It only seeks to be critical and blame

people for their birth status as part of a dominant oppressive race. Individualism

is almost obliterated. The group you belong to is your sin. If your group is

dominant, you have no right to even debate issues that those of the minority

group face. Group identity reigns. If we swallow such theories they will produce

the bitter indigestion of increased race and class warfare. It doesn’t resolve or

dissolve. It only enflames.

The gospel way is better. It will produce the desired result of reconciliation for

those willing to reconcile.

k. Set your hope on the coming utopia

1 Peter 1:13

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon

the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ

We live in such an unjust broken world. The fall of man and the ensuing sinful

nature humanity inherited has produced a viral strain of division that is

constantly mutating. As a result of the depravity of man I fear that if we had the

pill that totally solved the racial divisiveness across the globe, the virus would

still emerge in classism, sexism or some other “ism”. Scripture reveals that things

will not be perfected until Jesus returns and sets up His Kingdom. It is then we

will experience true earthly justice before tasting heavenly eternal justice. The

Prophet Isaiah writing of Jesus declared “ He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till

He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law.

(Isaiah 42:4).

We must still fight for every form of true justice we can attain on this earth. God

wants earth as it is in Heaven. But lest we become weary and worn know that

the bell will ring soon, and the winner of fight will be Jesus. He will get the

champions belt and if faithful, we the victors crown.

Stick with the Biblical Solutions and resist any other system. It will be worth it

temporally and eternally.

Becoming a Warrior Pastor Fred

 Becoming a Warrior

Being Tough but Tender

1. You are born a warrior.

Isaiah 49:1-2 “Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath

called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my

name. 

2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid

me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;” 

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth

out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”

Genesis 1:26-28 “We were created in the Image of God.”

Proverbs 18:21 “Like God, our victory is in our Mouth, life and death”

2. Our situation and circumstances cause us to forget who we are.

Isaiah 49:4 “Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in

vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God

3. We are warriors because of covenant.

1 Samuel 17:34-36 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there

came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: (David’s interview with Saul) 35

And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he

arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 36 Thy servant

slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them,

seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.

1. We are a chosen generation, God’s own people.

 Sometimes we forget who we are. Israel was reminded by David that they were

warriors because of covenant.

 We need to know the Lord is our strength.

Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount

up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not

faint.”

Psalm 144:1-2 “Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers

for battle; he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my

shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.”

1. The Lord is your strength.

2 Samuel 10:12 “Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God.

The LORD will do what is good in his sight.”

Jeremiah 51:20 “Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in

pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;”

1. You become a warrior by having courage and knowing that the Lord is with you.

1 John 5:5 “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the

Son of God.”

1. Is He with you? Who is He to you?

Matthew 16:15-20 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “Blessed

are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my

Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my

church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the

kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you

loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone

that he was the Messiah.”

Matthew 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you - Believe in me: receive me as your prophet,

priest, and king. For I am meek and lowly in heart - Meek toward all men, lowly toward God:

and ye shall find rest - Whoever therefore does not find rest of soul, is not meek and lowly.”

The 6 Pieces of the Armor of God and How to Use Them

Ephesians 6:10–18 “ 10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the

full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our

struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,

against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly

realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you

may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand

firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of

righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the

gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can

extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the

sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with

all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for

all the Lord’s people.”

 A shield design can communicate stability, protection, longevity, tradition, solidity,

masculinity, toughness, boldness, confidence, no retreat, no surrender.

 The belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel, shield of faith,

helmet of salvation, and sword of the spirit all make up the whole armor of God.

 Every true follower of Jesus Christ needs to wear it.

1. BELT OF TRUTH

We know that in God, there is no sin, and all of His words are true and alive. He is perfect in all

of his ways (Psalm 18:30), whereas Satan “was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to

the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar

and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Thus, the belt of truth is in essence the truth we find in God

himself and His word, whereas Satan’s character displays the complete opposite of truth.

2. BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

​The second piece of the whole armor of God is the Breastplate of Righteousness, which we can

understand by looking at God’s righteous character.

Romans 3:11-12 “…that nobody is righteous by himself, nobody does good, and apart from God

seeking out for us, we are lost and unrighteous without Him.”

3. SHOES OF THE GOSPEL

To be effective soldiers of God, we must be able to move around and spread His word. In

Matthew 28:16-20, Jesus called on His disciples, as well as calling on all of His future followers

to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the

Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

4. SHIELD OF FAITH

 Use the Shield of Faith to really protect yourself as a Christian and “extinguish all the

flaming darts of the evil one”.

 Having faith in God and His promises, will act as a shield to protect us from doubt and

the lies thrown at us from the world.

5. HELMET OF SALVATION

The Helmet of Salvation is a very crucial piece of spiritual armor, as it involves protecting our

head from the lies and doubts about our salvation in Jesus that can be planted in our minds.

6. SWORD OF THE SPIRIT

Looking back to our main passage from Ephesians 4, you need to take with you “the sword of

the Spirit, which is the word of God.” 

 The Sword of the Spirit is the key weapon in our spiritual arsenal that God has given us

to win the battle against the devil.

 We are not fighting, we just trust God like Jehoshaphat. We will stand ready with praise

on our mouth.