Belt of Truth
Read other parts of this study:
Overview - Lesson 1 - Lesson 2 - Lesson 3 - Lesson 4 - Lesson 5 - Lesson 6 - Lesson 7 - Bonus
Read the Minecraft Version of Lesson 2
Reminder: This is intended to be a small group discussion. Ask the leading questions to the group and invite discussion. For questions with Bible verses, read the verses to help answer the question. Potential answers and key takeaways are provided as a leader’s guide.
We learned in Lesson 1 that sin likes to come out in the dark, and it is waiting to attack you when you least expect it. However, our light source, Jesus Christ, helps us conquer sin and darkness.
What tools does God give us to help us in our fight again sin and Satan? The Bible tells us that the best way to conquer Satan and his evil forces is to put on the armor of God, starting with the belt of truth. In this lesson, we’ll look at the importance of truth.
Ephesians 6:13-14: 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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist...
Truth
What is truth?
Something that is based in reality
Real things, events, or facts
How does truth apply to our lives?
In order to be successful followers of Christ, we have to know:
o The source of truth
o The truth about our enemy
o The truth about ourselves
o The truth about God
Biblical Foundation for Truth
What is the source of truth?
John 17:17: Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
John 14:6: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Psalm 119:160: All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.
Key takeaway: God’s word is the source of truth.
What did Jesus do when he was tempted?
Matthew 4:1-11: Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Key takeaway: Use Scripture to defeat Satan’s attacks.
What is the truth about Satan?
John 8:44: You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He 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.
1 Peter 5:8: Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
1 John 3:8: The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.
Revelation 20:10: And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Key takeaway: Satan’s primary way of getting you to sin is by deceiving you; it is his very nature. However, Jesus has come to conquer him for all eternity!
What is the truth about us?
Genesis 1:26-27: Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
Romans 3:23: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Ephesians 2:8-10: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Key takeaway: We are created in God’s image, but we have all sinned. We have been saved from our sin by God’s grace.
What is the truth about God?
Isaiah 6:1-3: In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
John 3:16-17: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Romans 6:9-10: For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
1 Peter 2:24: “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
Key takeaway: God is holy and cannot be around sin. But he loved us so much that he sent Jesus to die in our place so that we can receive his righteousness.
Belt of Truth
Based on what you’ve learned, why do we need the belt of truth?
So we can recognize Satan’s lies (John 8:44)
So we know who we are in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10)
So we know that Jesus conquered sin (Romans 6:9-10)
How do we put on the belt of truth?
Know God’s word, which is the source of truth (John 17:17)
o Read and study Scripture
o Memorize verses
Follow God’s ways
o Psalm 25:4-5: Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Final Application
What lies of Satan do you need to recognize to conquer the sin in your life?
What is one thing you can do to put on the belt of truth today?
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