Return with me now please to Paul's letter to the Philippians, sorry to the Ephesians, I'm getting ahead of myself.
It's Ephesians chapter 6.
Tonight we're going to look at verse 17, the first part of verse 17.
As you can see verse 17 mentions two parts of the armour that we've been going through over the past number of weeks.
So verse 17 mentions the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.
We're just going to confine our thoughts tonight to the first of these, this helmet of salvation.
We've been looking at the various parts of the armour as we've gone through them.
We've noticed at times that there's a specific connection between some of them.
And that's the case spiritually, of course, as well, even more so than it was in the case of the Roman soldier, who's used here as a picture or analogy of a spiritual armour.
And we'll see that that's the same tonight as we come to the helmet of salvation.
It has a specific connection with the word of God, with the gospel.
Verse 15, shoes for your feet, having on the readiness given by the gospel of peace, but also what is mentioned, the belt of truth in verse 14.
Because the belt of truth in many ways, as we saw it going round the waist of the Roman soldier and keeping things in place,
it's always the case that spiritually we come back to the belt of truth because it's foundational to our progress and to our security.
So as we look at verse 17 tonight, obviously, it has to do with the helmet of the Roman soldier, which protected the head, one of the most important parts of the body.
Obviously, if the head was damaged, then the whole person was really out of action and would not be able to carry out their duties as required.
So let's look at this helmet in the spiritual sense of it.
And first of all, try and work out what exactly it means.
It's called the helmet of salvation.
Is it salvation in its entirety?
What does the word salvation actually indicate there?
And I think there's a clue to this in the passage we read in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5,
and especially the words of verse 8 there.
You recall as we read through that, since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.
So it's narrowing it down there to the hope of salvation.
In other words, it's not salvation in the broadest sense.
It's salvation in a more narrow, specific sense.
And I think we can take that into chapter 6 of Ephesians as well, because the Thessalonian passage gives us an insight into the working of Paul's mind in regard to this.
Now, the context, as you recall, in Thessalonians is one of Paul encouraging them to encourage one another.
They were looking forward to the coming of Christ.
Some actually were a bit concerned or even confused about how that would be in terms of in relation to those who had passed on from this life.
And you recall in chapter 4 that he deals with that specific problem, that the Lord will come with the sound of the trumpet of God.
The dead in Christ will rise first.
We then who are alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the air to meet the Lord in the air.
We will always be with the Lord.
Therefore, encourage one another with these words.
And then in chapter 5, as we read, verse 11, therefore, encourage one another and build one another up just as you are doing.
So it's very much to do with the context or the purpose of Paul of encouraging these Thessalonians,
encouraging this young church as they wrestled with theological problems,
but also like the Ephesians as they wrestled against spiritual darkness and against decline,
even amongst some of the people who had come to follow the Lord.
And the context of encouraging one another there in 1 Thessalonians is set in the context of Christ's return,
set in the context of looking forward in hope to the arrival of the Lord Jesus Christ as promised by himself
and by the teachings of God's word when he left this world to return to glory.
So salvation in this context really has that narrower focus.
And indeed, you'll find that in other contexts as well.
1 Peter, for example, begins his epistle by reflecting on how the resurrection of Jesus Christ brought them all to a living hope.
God had done this by the resurrection of Christ to a living hope.
To you who are called, he said, you who are kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Now he's talking there of, Peter is talking there of salvation ready to be revealed.
And he knows very well that salvation has already been revealed.
So he's talking again more narrowly, more focused on salvation in the sense of what is going to appear at the coming of Christ.
What is going to be made known then, that is not necessarily as clear now, but certainly hasn't yet been realized,
hasn't been accomplished in the sense of it hasn't taken place.
And here you can import that into your thinking in Ephesians here and verse 17.
Take the helmet of salvation.
And if you think in that narrower focus as the hope of salvation, as the helmet covered the head physically,
So the hope of salvation is something that looks forward to the future in hope,
but also is such an important and integral aspect of the Christian's life.
The Christian looking forward in hope is itself an antidote to discouragement,
an antidote, as we saw there in 1 Thessalonians 5,
to the discouragement that is so easily comes and drifts into our lives.
So if you think about the helmet in the ordinary sense, in the natural sense of protecting the head,
I think we can say that spiritually the helmet is there to protect the mind.
The mind, as it works through the issues that God has revealed, comes to certain conclusions.
God has given us the spirit of a sound mind.
He's opened our mind.
He's given us the kind of mind that wants to learn more and more of the truth of God,
learn more from the word of God.
And as that is the case, so it is something which nourishes your hope as you look towards the future,
among other things.
Of course, it does more than that, but we're focusing on the hope of salvation
as it's represented by this helmet, this helmet of the Roman soldier.
And the Christian mind, as it thinks ahead, is a mind that is able to think clearly
because you have the benefit of God's word clearly stating
that the things that are hoped for are already secure.
They're not things that are waiting to be worked through and brought to realization or accomplishment.
The fact that Jesus has gone to glory and is at the right hand of God the Father,
the fact that he has accomplished redemption on earth,
the fact that the spirit of God has come as promised,
and that Christ the Son and the Father are present through that spirit in the hearts of God's people,
that itself is something that is already the case.
And the word of God brings it to us so often that that has already been accomplished.
So hope in this sense, as you put on the helmet of hope,
as you exercise hope every day in Christ,
you're not dealing with something that's uncertain,
something that is still somehow unclear.
Sometimes we use the word hope, of course, and we mentioned this more than once.
We use the word hope in the ordinary, everyday sense of hope,
like hoping for the best or hoping something will actually come to take place,
or whatever it may be.
We're hoping it might be realized.
We're hoping it will come to pass.
We have no confidence that can say for sure it will.
But here, in the word that God has given us,
this belt of truth that's fastened on,
it's something that comes through the workings of your mind
to focus upon those certainties on which your hope is based,
on which your hope rests.
Because you're not here tonight as Christians,
exercising the mind that God has given you,
and somehow doubtful about things that are foundational for your hope.
Christ has died.
Christ has risen from the dead.
Christ is at the right hand of glory.
And all the way through the scripture, especially Paul's epistles,
you'll find him referring to these great facts,
facts accomplished already as the very ground of our hopes,
the very ground of the Christian hope,
that salvation that's certain,
that God has said is already accomplished,
that will remain to be,
that remains to be finally crowned at the appearance of Christ.
Well, what he's saying is,
in order to face the issues of the day,
and especially to face the enemy,
to face the spiritual darkness that we all wrestle against,
as we saw at the beginning of this passage,
take the helmet of salvation,
take the hope of salvation,
take that hope that penetrates forward into the future,
not as an unknown future,
though there are many events in the course of life
that will remain unknown.
But these are not unknowns.
These are the actual verities,
the truths,
the certainties of what God has already done,
and of what God in his word has promised,
will yet be fulfilled.
So that's something about the spiritual helmet.
We're focusing it down,
following 1 Thessalonians 5,
to the hope of salvation,
to the final stage of salvation,
with the coming of Christ.
And Paul is there,
and also here in Ephesians,
drawing the minds of the Ephesians
to that particular issue.
So that it's looking forward to projecting into the future.
So which temptation especially is addressed
by this particular emphasis on the hope of salvation
or the helmet of salvation?
Well, the second point,
and we looked at the spiritual helmet briefly,
is to look at how we need to keep up the fight,
to keep up our resistance,
and indeed our attack of the enemy as well,
whatever forms we find the enemy actually coming to assault us.
And the particular temptation,
I think, that's in mind here
for the use of the helmet of salvation
or the hope of salvation,
is the temptation to lose heart.
The temptation to recede,
the temptation to go back,
the temptation just to, if not almost give up,
then certainly progress towards that.
The temptation to become disillusioned
with the Christian life.
The temptation to be disillusioned
even with Jesus himself
when things are not going so well
in our lives generally.
The temptation even towards thinking,
is there any point to this at all?
Remember how in Ephesians chapter,
sorry, in Hebrews chapter 12,
you find that there's an exhortation there
to look to Jesus,
the author and finisher of our faith.
And in Hebrews 12 and verse 3,
the writer there is actually looking
in a similar situation
to what you have here in Ephesians.
Remember that Hebrews is very much
an epistle given towards
those who are tempted to
give up following Christ,
giving up the profession
they've made of faith in Christ.
And then he says,
it was through 11,
as you know, chapter 11,
that great cloud of witnesses,
as he calls it,
in verse 1 of chapter 12,
let us lay aside every weight
and the sin which clings so closely.
Let us run with endurance,
the word which means perseverance.
Let's not give up the struggle.
Let's not give up the fight.
He's saying,
the race that is set before us,
looking to Jesus,
the founder and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before him
endured the cross,
despising the shame
and is seated at the right hand
of the throne of God.
In other words,
we are exhorted
when the temptation comes
to slacken in the race
or to withdraw from the race,
as Hebrews 12 puts it.
We are encouraged to look to Jesus.
And why are we looking to Jesus?
Because he's not only the savior
in the sense of being foundational
to our faith,
to our Christian life.
He's also our supreme example
of perseverance,
of pressing on,
of not giving up,
of not giving up on the fight.
That's why he said there,
he endured the cross
for the joy that was set before him.
In other words,
the saint Jesus
was looking ahead of himself
as he lived in this world,
looking ahead even beyond the cross,
looking at the reality of the cross
and all of that would entail for himself.
But for the joy that was set before him,
for that which was promised him
beyond this world,
beyond the resurrection,
beyond exaltation,
beyond the cross,
he endured the cross
for the joy that was set before him.
In other words,
you could say
there's a sense in which
there's certainly an affinity
with the hope
that Christians,
that is people have
in looking beyond the current life,
the current circumstances,
the current situation,
to the fulfillment of the promises
at the coming
of Jesus Christ himself.
And when that takes place
and that aspect of salvation
is then actually realized
and fulfilled,
then the promises will be
enjoyed by his people.
So that letter of Hebrews,
the letter of exhortation,
is a letter that is
very much in line with Ephesians here
in terms of encouraging us
to actually not give up.
Remember,
all the way through Hebrews,
you've got references to Israel,
references to the Old Testament
and Israel in the progress
that they made through
the Old Testament
in the desert.
And so often in Hebrews,
they are an example
of not persevering.
They are an example
of giving up.
An example of not actually
pushing through
and persevering
into the land of promise.
And that's why the writer
is saying,
we have them as our example
so that we don't follow
the same sort of path
they followed
because they all fell
in the wilderness,
is the writer's word for it.
And apart from two,
they did not enter
into the land
that God had promised them.
And so,
we actually have
the helmet of salvation,
the hope of salvation,
the wilderness hardships
that Israel experienced.
And this is the contact point
with ourselves.
the wilderness hardships
that they experienced
actually gave the devil
an entry point.
An entry point towards
just them giving up
the struggles.
An entry point towards
them going back.
They wanted back to Egypt.
Remember how soon
after leaving Egypt,
they were saying to Moses,
why have you brought us out here
to die in this wilderness?
We wish we were back
in Egypt with the food
that we enjoyed in Eden.
There's nothing in Egypt.
There's nothing here
for us in this wilderness.
And that's what the devil
is actually always setting out
to tempt you towards
thinking and concluding
along those lines.
That somehow or other,
the struggles of the Christian life
are not really worth it
after all.
So as you take up
this helmet,
you use it,
first of all,
against what we can call
spiritual pacifism.
You know that a pacifist
in the ordinary sense
is somebody who,
because of their strong
views against war,
they exercise
the liberty of not actually
taking up the opportunity
of engaging with an enemy
in a time of war.
There were pacifists.
There were people
who are pacifists
in every generation.
That was their liberty
that they had
to live like that,
to have that conclusion.
And so they withdrew
from active engagement
in times of war
in army or navy
or air force or whatever.
Well, there's a kind of
spiritual pacifism as well
that the devil,
these powers that are mentioned there,
the schemes of the devil,
wrestling not against flesh and blood,
but against these present darkness,
the spiritual forces of evil,
need the spiritual helmet.
You need this hope of salvation
because he wants to persuade you
that because life is so difficult
as a Christian,
is it really worth going on?
There's a pacifism
that really wants you to conclude
that it's all right
being a Christian
in an ordinary sense,
but if only we could take
the struggles
out of the Christian life.
And really,
that's what the devil
wants to persuade you of,
that the struggles
of the Christian life
really have no meaning
or no purpose
or little purpose
or little value.
Whereas when you go
through the likes of Ephesians
and Paul's other letters
in the New Testament
and the writings
of the psalmist
in the Old Testament,
as well as the prophecies
of some of the prophets
and the struggles
they had to endure,
it becomes obvious
pretty quickly.
Not only are there struggles
in the Christian life,
but there are beneficial struggles.
There are struggles
which fit into God's program
of their redemption,
of their sanctification,
especially.
And that spiritual pacifism
is something
that the devil
will seek to make
very attractive to you.
And you know,
there's a form of it
which maybe doesn't go
as far as withdrawing
altogether,
but there's a form of it
that we're very familiar with,
of a kind of Christianity
that just goes through
the motions,
as it were,
or a nominalism,
belonging to a church
and saying,
yes, I'm a Christian,
but no real engagement
with any of the spiritual
enemies of the gospel,
no real engagement
positively for Christ
in this world
by way of witnessing for him,
by way of confessing him openly.
There's a kind of
spiritual withdrawal
in that sense,
that pacifism.
Well, here is the apostle saying,
take up this helmet
of the hope of salvation.
And because of the wonderful
certainties
of what are set out
at the return of Christ
for you,
encourage one another,
strengthen one another,
be involved
in the way of
giving each other
the support
and the encouragement
towards that final return
of Christ
that all of us need.
Every single Christian
needs,
at some point,
encouragement
from other Christians.
That's one of the reasons
we actually value
the wonderful privilege
of belonging
to the body of Christ,
of belonging
to that church
of Christ on earth.
So it's an antidote
against a spiritual pacifism,
but it's also
an antidote
at what you can call
defeatism.
I mentioned some of that
just in a few moments ago.
When you see
the state of things
in the world,
when you see
the extent
to which
what we'll call
the world
has rebelled
against God
and rebels
against the gospel
and rebels
against the law
of God
and rebels
against the testimonies
of history
in the church,
when you actually
take a view
of the church
itself
in the widest
possible sense,
well,
the devil will suggest
to you,
is there really
any point
to being a Christian?
Is there any point
to belonging
to a church?
Look at the state
of the world.
It's not made
any difference
in your lifetime.
Why should you
actually go on
with these struggles?
It's not made
any difference.
Things are going on
just as they were.
People aren't at all
interested in Christ.
When you think
of the struggles
that people have
for the gospel,
struggles with regard
to standing
for the rights
of Jesus,
the devil will come.
Well, the gospel
is just not going
to win anyway,
so what's the point?
Forget about evangelism.
Forget about your own
personal advancement
and holiness
of life.
Forget about your
own perseverance
and looking onwards
in hope,
because when you
focus on the present,
as the devil will
suggest to you,
that's really all
that matters.
Just as 2 Peter
would say,
those who are facing,
those the church
was facing then
were facing the idea
of, well,
where is the promise
of his coming?
Everything remains
just as it was.
There's a kind
of pointlessness
suggested and thrown
at you.
when you think
of what it is
to be a Christian
and the struggles
of the Christian life.
Of course,
what he's telling us
here,
and you find it
abundantly throughout
Paul's writings,
is that you counter
that with taking
an account
of eternity.
This is not all
about the present life.
The present life
is important
to the Christian.
The present life
is important
to the church.
The present life
is important
in many respects.
But what the devil
wants you to look
at is the present
life exclusively
and not actually
take account
of the importance
and the enormity
and the way
in which eternity
looms for the Christian
as the crowning
of their salvation.
And in a sense,
everything of this
present life,
however important
it may be
in its own right,
but everything
really moves forward
towards that crowning
moment of the coming
of Christ.
That's really what
the helmet of salvation
is about,
the hope of salvation.
Where the devil
would encourage you,
just focus on the present
and where he would say,
well, look at all
the differences of opinion
that are about the future,
anyone about the coming
of Christ.
Not all Christians
believe the same thing,
so that's another way
that he can get
into your mind
and say,
you know,
just don't be too serious
about it.
Be a Christian,
certainly,
just in a nominal sense,
that'll do,
that'll be enough.
Well, this is the hope
of salvation
to counteract that.
Where God
started the work,
as we saw in Philippians
some time ago,
just across the page
in your Bible,
I am sure of this,
that he who began
a good working,
you will bring it
to completion
at the day
of Jesus Christ.
At the day
of Jesus Christ.
Take up
the helmet
of salvation.
And just like you
find with
the sword
of the spirit
and with
the shoes
of the gospel
and all the other
parts of the armor,
they are actually
there ready to hand
to be used
on a daily basis.
You need
the helmet
of salvation
because your warfare
is a daily warfare.
You are facing
this enemy
every single
day of your life.
I know that
I'm saying
these things
to people
who already
know that.
But think of
how often
in the New Testament
itself you find
the likes of Peter
and of Paul
reminding Christians,
reminding myself,
reminding yourself.
And reminding
just means
going back
to the basic things,
to the foundational
things,
to the building
blocks of our
redemption.
Because the devil
will, again,
these powers
of darkness,
schemes,
the wiles,
the way
in which
temptation
is shaped
so as to
draw you in
and take
your attention
and suck you
into its
workings.
It's there
counteracted
so often
by the apostle
by bringing
before us
the importance
of eternity
and bringing
before us
how God
will not
stop short
of finishing
the work
that he has
begun.
When you go
back to
Romans
chapter 8,
that great
chapter,
we could have
read that one
tonight.
It's very much
in line with
some of the
thoughts in
this chapter
in Ephesians
as well.
But Romans
chapter 8,
and remember
Romans chapter 8
is certainly
a very strongly
theological
chapter.
It's got some
of the most
wonderful
theology,
both of
our foundational
salvation in
Christ and
the work of
the Spirit
of God
in us,
but it's
also got some
of the most
wonderful
teaching on
sanctification,
on God
actually working
in his people,
bringing them
onwards towards
the time when
they will
finally be like
Jesus in the
image of God's
Son, what they
are predestined
to.
So yes,
there's all
that wonderful
theology in
chapter 8 of
Romans, but
it's a chapter
for encouragement.
It's not there
just to be
studied by
theologians.
It's not just
there for those
who are skilled
in following
out theological
arguments.
It's there for
you and it's
there for me.
It's there for
every Christian
because it's a
chapter to do
with Christian
encouragement,
which is why
Paul winds up
that chapter
if you like.
You can put it
that way from
verse 31,
especially what
then shall we
say to these
things?
He's saying,
here's the
theology,
here's the
wonderful teaching,
here's the
doctrine,
here are the
things that are
foundational to
our belief,
to our faith,
to our salvation.
So what's our
reaction?
What are we
going to say?
Why is that
there for us?
What are we to
make of this?
What shall we
then say to
these things?
If God is for
us, who can
be against
us?
He who did
not spare his
own son but
gave him up for
us all, how
will he not
also with him
graciously give
us all things?
You notice the
with him is
important.
How will he
not also with
him, with the
son, with
Jesus, united
to Christ, give
us all things?
And then he
says, who
shall lay any
charge against
God's elect?
You see, that's
the same context,
the same atmosphere,
if you like, as
Ephesians 6, in
the armor of
God.
Charge is brought
against God's
elect.
That's the devil's
business.
That's his
purpose.
That's what he's
busy at.
That's what his
scheming is about.
Who shall lay
any charge or
bring any charge
against God's
elect?
It is God who
justifies.
So who is to
condemn?
Where is there
condemnation for
these people who
are in Christ
Jesus?
Paul is saying,
there can't be.
There's just no
possibility.
It's an impossibility
that the devil is
true about your
condemnation when
you're united to
Christ.
Because he says,
Jesus Christ is the
one who died, more
than that, who was
raised, who is at
the right hand of
God, who indeed is
interceding for us.
Who shall separate
us from the love of
Christ?
Shall tribulation, or
distress, or
persecution, or
famine, or
nakedness, or
danger, or
sword, all of
which are things
that the devil has
access to, to
bring you to be
discouraged, to
bring you to take
steps back?
No, he says, in
all these things, we
are more than
conquerors through
him who loved us.
For I am sure that
neither death, nor
life, nor angels,
nor rulers, nor
things present, nor
things to come, nor
powers, nor height,
nor depth, nor
anything else in all
creation, will be
able to separate
us from the love
of God in Christ
Jesus, our Lord.
You see how
wonderfully
practical Paul is
in applying his
theology.
That's what is
there for you and
for me, too.
And as you go to
Ephesians 6, and
go through these
parts of the
armor, and you
come to what we're
looking at tonight,
this helmet of
salvation, the hope
of salvation, it's
really saying to you,
think of your future.
Think of what's
already secure.
Think of what's
there waiting for
you to enjoy in
eternity.
Think of all that
for your present
life, so that you
be encouraged in
it, so that you
don't slacken, so
that you don't
give up, but
rather that you
persevere.
I mentioned
2 Peter a few
moments ago, and
you'll find similar
emphasis there as he
deals with what was
in his own day,
some critical times
as well, and you
recall there in 2
Peter chapter 3, how
he is facing the
idea that there
is actually just no
such thing as the
return of Christ,
where he's saying
in chapter 3 there,
he said, I'm
stirring up your
sincere mind by way
of reminder that
you should remember
the predictions of
the holy prophets
and the commandment
of the Lord, knowing
first of all that
scoffers will come in
the last days, and
the last days are
from the time that
Christ came and
went back to glory
until he returns,
these are the last
days.
And he's saying in
chapter 3 here of
2 Peter, they will
say, following their
own sinful desires,
they will say, where
is the promise of
his coming?
For ever since the
fathers fell asleep,
all things continue
as they were from
the beginning of
creation.
And so all the
way through, he
then goes to deal
with the Lord, not
slack, concerning his
promises being
fulfilled, and how
he's patient towards
us, and how one day
with the Lord is like
a thousand years, a
thousand years like
one day.
Therefore he said,
beloved, since you are
waiting for these
things, be diligent to
be found by him
without spot or
blemish and at
peace, and count the
patience of our Lord
as salvation, just as
our beloved brother
Paul also wrote to
you, according to the
wisdom given to him.
Know you therefore,
know you therefore
beloved, in verse 17,
knowing this beforehand,
take care that you
are not carried
away with the
error of lawless
people and lose
your own
stability.
What is the
antidote to being
carried away and
losing your
stability?
What's the
antidote to
slackening off or
just giving up or
saying what's the
point?
It is this, but
grow in the grace
and knowledge of
our Lord and
Savior Jesus
Christ.
To him be glory
both now and to
the day of
eternity.
In other words,
you can say,
speaking into
Ephesians 6 as
well, that the
antidote to the
temptation to go
back or to give
up is to grow.
Spiritual growth
is the only
adequate response
or answer to the
temptation of the
devil to go up.
to give up.
And instead of
succumbing to
that temptation,
what we are
encouraged to do
by God himself
through his word
is to say in
return, not only
am I not going
to give up,
but I'm
determined to go
on growing in
my Christian life,
in my relationship
with the Lord,
in my relationship
with my fellow
Christians.
I'm determined
not to give up,
but instead to
actually take all
the encouragement
I can from
being with my
brothers and
sisters in
Christ, so that
together we will
grow in the
grace and in the
knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
May God bless
these thoughts on
his word to us.
now we're going to
conclude.
Thank you.