Helmet of Salvation
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Helmet of Salvation, Ephesians 6:17a
Introduction:
One of the greatest and most effective strategies for beating anybody at anything next to skill is psychological warfare. Sometimes it can be the best thing you have when there is a lack of skill or weakness.
ILLUS: There are a lot of things I’m not great at but enjoy playing: golf, darts, pickle ball, etc.
If I can't beat you with my skill, I'm going to try to get in your head and let you beat yourself.
This is exactly what the enemy does two children of God whom he knows he cannot ultimately defeat. He engages in psychological warfare just like he has done from the very beginning.
Satan had already been cast out of heaven, demonstrating God was all powerful so where God was the creator, through psychological warfare Satan could create chaos.
John MacArthur: “the two dangerous edges of Satan’s spiritual sword are discouragement and doubt.”
Created Doubt in Eve’s mind
· Regarding the word of God “Did God really say?”
· Regarding God's goodness by challenging God's motives in his command. He is withholding something good from you (ie being like Himself)
Though God had given Adam and Eve an entire garden, they were made to want more.
They gave up contentment for the offer of power and they lost it all.
They failed to hold on to the Truth of what they knew about who God was.
We are usually tempted in the same ways
· Doubt God’s goodness when we go through suffering.
· Doubt His gospel when we hear something preached we don’t like, so find somewhere else that will affirm what we want to believe rather than what is written.
· Doubt His authority when we allow for something Word of God prohibits, or prohibits something it allows.
· Become discouraged when it feels like nothing we attempt is successful.
· Become discouraged when the trials we’re going through last longer than we determine is necessary.
It’s the same for us as it was for Adam and Eve: It all starts in the head! Battle of the mind.
If you are going into battle, whether it is football or war, you have to protect your head and the only way to do that is to put on a helmet.
Paul tells us that the way to protect our minds from the mind games of the enemy is to put on the helmet of salvation.
How does this work?
We have made clear throughout this series that all of this armor that we have has been given to us apart from anything we could do, completely dependent on the finished work of Jesus on the cross. In other words, it is dependent on our salvation.
Romans 8:1 - Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,[a] 2 because the law[b] of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you[c] free from the law[d] of sin and death.
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,
One of Satan’s major plays out of his playbook is to convince us of our condemnation; of our unworthiness of salvation; of our lack of goodness.
All of these things are objectively true, but the full truth is the message of Romans 8. So We do battle every day by reminding ourselves of the gospel and what has been done for us.
The 3 aspects of salvation that protects us and helps us armor up with the helmet of salvatino: The past, the present, and the future.
1. The past – Justification: a completed work, never to be repeated.
Ephesians 2:8a - “you have been savedby grace through faith...”
8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
30 I and the Father are one.”
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
Child adoption: Once the process is complete, it is irreversible. The adopted child is a part of the adoptive family for the rest of their lives, entitled to all the blessings and benefits of any natural born child.
Nevertheless, Satan will constantly remind you of your unworthiness to make you doubt and eventually despair.
9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.
And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. 14 He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.
Where have you heard that language before?
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.
The ones we “struggle” against, Christ has already defeated!
When Satan tempts me to despair,
and tells me of the guilt within,
upward I look and see Him there
who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died,
my sinful soul is counted free;
for God the Just is satisfied
to look on Him and pardon me;
2. The Present – Sanctification: growing in grace
The process of the Holy Spirit working in and with us to make us more like Christ using our struggles!
Remember James 1 from last week: James 1:2-4
2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials,
3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
Because of our salvation, we’re no longer held captive by the penalty of sin:
Romans 6:14 - …sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.
14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.
Now, we are free to grow through the temptation with the ability not to fall into it.
Again from last week, 1 Corinthians 10:13
13 No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.
No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.
God’s helmet of salvation also has the power to thwart the enemy’s attack even when we do inadvertently fail: 1 John 1:9
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
3. The Future – Glorification: Eternal hope when our faith becomes sight and we are made fully complete.
This is the real power of the Helmet of Salvation. Why?
Because this is independent of ANY circumstances. No matter what I’m going through, the promise of eternity with Jesus is always before me. It’s why Paul called it the “helmet of hope” in 1 Thessalonians 5:8 .
8 But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled and put on the armor of faith and love, and a helmet of the hope of salvation.
This has given courage and boldness to millions of martyrs since the time of Jesus because on the other side of death, there is glory!
ILLUS: I can think back to many trials that seemed they would never end, yet I look back now and they are years in the past! Time goes by fast!
That’s what Paul meant:
17 For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.
18 So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. 18 So we do not focuson what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.
19 For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope
21 that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children.
22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now.
23 Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
24 Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees?
25 Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.
For I consider that the sufferingsof this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope 21 that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. 23 Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 25 Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.
Conclusion:
The past, present, and future aspects of salvation work together to give us a solid foundation from which to fight off the futile attacks of the enemy. The past and present realities of our salvation provide hope and joy as we wait for the ultimate fulfillment. Remind one another of this!
So, when you get discouraged and the evil one tells you there is no hope, preach the gospel to yourself, putting the helmet of salvation firmly in place, and take your stand!