The helmet of salvation
August 22, 2020

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.

Today is part 4 of the series, THE ARMOR OF GOD, and our focus today is found in verse 17: TAKE THE HELMET OF SALVATION. Paul wrote to a group of Christians covering various topics and then he comes to the final section of the letter and he said,

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

This battle that you are signing up for requires strong body and mind and your strength comes from a close relationship with the Lord.

In verse 11 he says that you have to be properly suited for the encounter. Gladiators don’t wrestle in civilian clothes and with civilian military hardware. Show you are serious about being in this fight by putting on the total armor of God, so that you will be prepared for victory against this enemy.

What could have inspired Paul to write such a vivid and appropriate lesson?

This letter was written while Paul was in prison in Rome and he might have witnessed the violent confrontations of gladiators in the arenas that provided entertainment. These bloody duels would often end in the death of the defeated gladiator or the victor standing with his foot on the head of the loser. In verse 12, the King James Version uses the word WRESTLE, which is found only once in the New Testament.

The definition of wrestling speaks of fighting one-on-one against an opponent.

I want to draw our attention to verse 13:
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.

Note the instructions here. This series is pointing out the various pieces of the armor so that you recognize the necessity and importance of the whole armor in this battle. In this verse Paul says “put on all of the military outfit so you will be ready to fight to win. You win when the enemy is under your feet and you are left standing. If you are strong in the Lord then you qualify and are required to wear the full armor of God, and if you wear the full armor of God you will be able to fight with certain knowledge of victory, and you know you have won when you are left standing, and if you are standing then the enemy is under your feet.”

Psalm 91:13: You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

Jesus tells us clearly in Luke 10:19: I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

Romans 16:20: The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

By the way, nowhere does the bible tell us to take off the armor: you wear it all the time. Why? “Jesus said the THIEF comes to steal, kill and destroy…” (John 10:10a) and that can mean anytime. 1 Peter 5: 8 says: Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

2 Corinthians 11:14: And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

The Helmet Is For Identification.
The soldier in this conversation is born again. He has received salvation, or he has been delivered from the penalty and consequences of sin. Salvation comes through believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 4:12 says:
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

This person has received salvation by putting his or her faith in Jesus. It is one thing to have salvation, but it is another thing to be public about it. The Roman soldier was required to wear his helmet anytime he is going to battle. That is a sure way of identifying him.

Romans 1: 16v says:
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

If someone has received salvation, then that person should not be ashamed to let others know that you are a child of God because salvation is the best thing for every single person. You are a follower of Jesus, so wear your helmet of salvation.

Another way to make your salvation public is what Jesus taught in Matthew 5:16:
In the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Salvation brings light into your life and you cannot or should not hide light. When your light shines it lets others see that you are different, that you are a child of God.

So wear your helmet of salvation to show that you are a genuine soldier of Jesus Christ.

The helmet covers and the helmet protects, but I suspect that Paul wanted to get pass the obvious and go deeper. If it was just about the covering and protection then he would have said “take the helmet” but instead he labeled it the helmet of salvation.

Why helmet of salvation?
2 Timothy 1:11-12:
1 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

Paul acknowledged that some of his toughest days in his life has been since he became a Christian but he testifies without reservation: I KNOW THE CHRIST OF MY SALVATION and HE WILL KEEP ME UNTIL THAT BIG DAY. Paul was never more certain that he made the right choice despite the fact that the choice has led to him almost losing his life but he insists that his knowledge of the man Who saved him and set him free from sin, makes him 100% certain that he made the right decision. You wear the helmet of salvation because there will be days when Satan gets in your head and starts to feed you lies, starts feeding you doubts, you find yourself second guessing your decision to accept Jesus as your Savior. But even when things are not going your way and you are faced with the decision to go back to the old life of sin, Paul says take the helmet of salvation, and reject the lies of the enemy. THE DEVIL IS A LIAR. Don’t believe the lies he tells you, don’t let him mess with your conviction. Hold on to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith.

Why do we need the helmet of salvation in this fight?

Because of a decision I have made. Paul, the man who challenges us to “take the helmet of salvation” invites us to make a decision based on your salvation, a decision that I’m not going back, I am moving ahead. In Philippians 3: 13-14
13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Paul is leading by example. He is saying, each of you take a decision that you are not going back, you are moving ahead with purpose and determination. The agents of the devil will try to persuade you to go back but there is hope in moving ahead, there is victory ahead, there is a prize ahead and I am going after it. My helmet of salvation reminds me daily that my salvation promises me that I will get to see Jesus and to reign with Him in glory. One of these days, I will lay down the helmet and take up the crown of life.

Christian, you must take up your helmet of salvation. It is necessary for the struggle against a host of demonic spirits that are assigned daily to hurt, kill and destroy. You must put on the whole armor of God so that in the end you will be standing victoriously. You must take up the helmet of salvation if you want to be able to sing with confidence that it is well with your soul.

My friend, you have listened and now you have to make a decision. If you have decided that you want to be a follower of Jesus, that you want to experience salvation, then say the following prayer:
Dear God I realize that I need You in my life. Please, come into my life today and make me into your child. Forgive me of all my sins and make me over today. I accept Your gift of salvation and I thank You for saving me today, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you recited that prayer and meant it, then we are asking you to let us know. Text the word FORGIVE to 954- 951-4747 and we will send you some resources to help you in your decision to serve Jesus. If you have a special prayer request, please call us at 844-680-7729 (PRAY) and someone will be happy to pray with you.


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