Subject: The Helmet of Salvation
by Rick Welborne
Ephesians 6:10-17 (NIV)
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…
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…
--So far we have looked at the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, our feet shod with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace, and the shield of faith.
--Tonight we will look at the helmet of salvation.
Gordon Maxwell - The helmet was a metal headgear that protected the head in hand-to-hand combat... the head was always a target for the enemy in a sword fight. The helmet would protect the head. While the enemy might ring your bell... the helmet would protect the head from any permanent damage.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary - The head of the soldier was among the principal parts to be defended, as on it the deadliest strokes might fall, and it is the head that commands the whole body. The head is the seat of the mind, which lays hold of the sure Gospel "hope" of eternal life. God, by this hope, "lifts up the head".
Psalm 3:3 (NKJV)
3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
Wesley’s Commentary - And take for a helmet the hope of salvation. The head is that part which is most carefully to be defended. One stroke here may prove fatal. The armor for this is the hope of salvation. The lowest degree of this hope is a confidence that God will work the whole work of faith in us; the highest is a full assurance of future glory, added to the experimental knowledge of pardoning love. Armed with this helmet, the hope of the joy set before him, Christ "endured the cross, and despised the shame," Heb.12:2
—Christ is the salvation of the sinner. He is the One to receive the glory in it all. That plume on the top of the helmet represents Christ. He has been made unto us salvation. Even before His birth in Bethlehem He was marked out as the Savior.
Matthew 1:21 (NKJV)
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."
1. The beauty of our salvation.
--Paul mentions this helmet in connection with salvation again in another epistle.
1 Thessalonians 5:8 (NKJV)
8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.
8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.
Rick Renner - Dressed to Kill says "The Roman soldiers helmet was a fascinating and beautiful part of His armor. It was a flamboyant piece of weaponry, very ornate and intricate.
—He said that the Roman soldier's helmet was highly decorated with all kinds of etchings and engravings. There would even be helmets to look like the head of animals.
—The helmet was made of bronze and equipped with pieces of armor that were specifically designed to protect the cheeks and jaws. It was extremely heavy; therefore, the interior was lined with a spongy material in order to soften its weight on the soldier's head.
--This piece of armor was so strong, so massive, and so heavy that nothing could pierce it—not even a hammer or a battle axe.
—It would be very hard to walk past one of these soldiers without noticing him. You would definitely notice a man with a piece of sculpture on his head and a brightly colored plume waving in the air!
Renner - Why would the Holy Spirit compare a piece of weaponry like this to salvation. Because your salvation is the most gorgeous, most intricate, most elaborate, and most ornate gift God ever gave you!
--What Paul was trying to convey to us was that when a person is confident in their salvation and he is walking in the powerful truth of the gospel…that person is noticeable! He has influence for Christ!
2. Don’t lose your head!
—Not only was the helmet beautiful but it was designed to save a man's head.—It is imperative that we put on the helmet of salvation so we will not lose our head. Not allow the enemy to attack our minds.
—If you have ever been addicted to something...you can relate to the hammer going off in your head trying to get you to take off your helmet and to become vulnerable. Crack Cocaine. The Northeast epidemic.
--If you will be useful to the Kingdom of God and be noticeable to the world...you must wear your helmet of salvation every day!
Ephesians 6:11 (NKJV)
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
--As God sends us into the battle it is so important that we have on our helmet of salvation so that we can stand against the wiles of the devil!
—The word "wiles" is taken from the word "methodos"...meta which means with and odos where we get our word for odometer...ln other words Satan wiles are His attempt to get us on the wrong road...going the wrong direction...the wrong path.
—Our helmet of salvation is to protect us from the wiles, the devices, the schemes of the devil...notice how Paul relates forgiveness to not being outwitted by the devil!
2 Corinthians 2:10-11 (NLT)
10 When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit,
11 so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.
10 When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit,
11 so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.
--Un-forgiveness is simply Satan out smarting us! Don't let him do that...forgive! The essence we get from the Greek about this verse is this: We are not ignorant of the mind games that the devil tries to pull on us.
—God help the church to stop being deceived by Satan and led down the wrong road by these attacks of the enemy on our minds! The wrong road...then the wrong thoughts!
Without the helmet to protect our minds...we go down the wrong road with these wiles of the devil, then we have the wrong thoughts, and the final blow is deception.
—In the Greek deception "dolios" means to deceive with a purpose. Division!
Renner - ln the most literal sense, the word dolios means to bait someone, as in setting a bait in front of a fish.
—When we begin to put all of this together we see how our enemy tries to destroy us...He gets us going on the wrong road, we begin to have the wrong thoughts...He keeps baiting us along until we find ourselves walking in deception not even knowing it!
Renner - Once the mind games are in full motion, Satan then baits the believer with lying accusations and slanderous allegations. If the believer perceives these lies to be true and bites the bait, the process of "deception" is then fully implemented in his or her life.
—Can you see how important it is to put on the helmet of salvation every day? Without our helmet we get caught up by only hearing one side of a matter:
Proverbs 18:13 (NLT)
13 Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.
13 Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.
Matthew Henry Unabridged - It is folly for a man to go about to speak to a thing which he does not understand, or to pass sentence upon a matter which he is not truly and fully informed of, and has not patience to make a strict enquiry into; and, if it be folly, it is and will be shame.
Proverbs 18:13 (TLB)
13 What a shame—yes, how stupid!—to decide before knowing the facts!
13 What a shame—yes, how stupid!—to decide before knowing the facts!
—How many people have been judged, convicted, and sentenced before both sides were heard or revealed. Without our helmet we easily take up others offenses:
Luke 17:1-3 (NKJV)
1 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!
1 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!
2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.
3 Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
3. We must put on our helmet of salvation every day!
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (NKJV)
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
—What is a stronghold?
—Greek - ochuroma - oldest word in the NT...fortress...later came to mean a prison. —Accurate rendering : Our weapons...our armor is mighty in God to pulling down prisons.
Renner- The word stronghold was later translated as the word prison. What do prisons do? It serves the opposite purpose of a fortress. Whereas a fortress keeps outsiders from getting in, a prison keeps insiders from getting out.
—What are we trying to say: when a person has a stronghold like a fortress around him... The walls are so thick that no one can break thru the barrier to help him. These invisible walls keep outsiders from getting in.
—These are walls that are built over a period of time...the Holy Spirit attempts to help us not go down those roads...but un-forgiveness and bitterness continues to build the walls.
—Unrealistic fears are developed that bring damage to your family, friends, and church. If this fortress is not dealt with by the mighty power of God...the fortress becomes a 
prison.
prison.
--This spirit of self-preservation becomes a spirit of self-isolation and destruction. You are trapped in your prison and you cannot get out.
2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (NKJV)
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
Isaiah 45:1-3 (NKJV)
1 "Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held-- To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:
2 'I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel.
1 "Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held-- To subdue nations before him And loose the armor of kings, To open before him the double doors, So that the gates will not be shut:
2 'I will go before you And make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze And cut the bars of iron.
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.