Sermon Tone Analysis

I brought my bicycle helmet with me today.

You can’t see it from where you sit, but right her on the side there is about and 3/4 inch long gash and few smaller scrapes.

It reminds me of a day I decided to go biking alone and while looking backwards, getting ready to cross a road, I hit the curb and went head first over the handle bars.

I remember my head bouncing off the sidewalk, my shoulder screaming with pain, thinking to myself, “how bad is it?”

Fortunately, I was able to get up and ride home, with nothing more that a bruised shoulder and a few scrapes, but none on my head.

Since then, i will not go biking without my helmet.

In 2013 statistic said - In the U.S., there were 900 deaths and an estimated 494,000 emergency room visits due to bicycle-related injuries in 2013, the study authors write.

Researchers analyzed records of 6,267 people treated in 2012 for bleeding inside the skull after a bicycle accident.

One quarter of patients had been wearing a bicycle helmet at the time of their accident.

Just over half of the patients had severe traumatic brain injuries and 3 percent died.

Researchers found that people wearing helmets had 52 percent lower risk of severe TBI, compared to unhelmeted riders, and a 44 percent lower risk of death.

Our text says that we are to take the helmet of Salvation as we go into battle.

The idea of taking the helmet once agains suggests, that we have a responsibility to take it up… to receive it.

As a soldier was preparing for battle, he would put on the belt of truth, the breast plate of righteousness, put on his shoes, and then an attendant would sometime hand him his helmet.

The purpose of the helmet is obvious, it is to protect the head.

Remember that our enemy has weapons as well.

Taking up the helmet of Salvation indicates that...

...Satan’s blows are aimed at our minds.

He is intent on destroying our sense of security and our assurance in Jesus Christ.

If the devil can strike a blow against us that causes us to become discouraged and filled with doubt, he will have little trouble sidelining us and taking us out of the battle.

Today we are going to talk about wearing our Spiritual helmet.

Even though it may not stop all of Satan’s influential thoughts that come to our mind, having the helmet of Salvation does provide us with assurance of eternity with God.

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Our text says that we are to take the helmet of Salvation as we go into battle.

The idea of taking the helmet once agains suggests, that we have a responsibility to take it up… to receive it.

As a soldier was preparing for battle, he would put on the belt of truth, the breast plate of righteousness, put on his shoes, get on his horse and then an attendant would sometime hand him his helmet.

The purpose of the helmet is obvious, it is to protect the head.

Remember that our enemy has weapons as well as we do.

Taking up the helmet of Salvation indicates that...

...Satan’s blows are aimed at our minds.

He is intent on destroying our sense of security and our assurance in Jesus Christ.

If the devil can strike a blow against us that causes us to become discouraged and filled with doubt, he will have little trouble sidelining us and taking us out of the battle.

The Helmet of Salvation protects us from Discouragement...

The Devil will use the sword of discouragement to defeat our walk with God and our influence for the Kingdom of God.

He will cause us to look at our sins, our failures, the problems in our lives, health issues… he will use any negative thing he can to take our eyes off of the Lord Jesus Christ.

If he can get us to doubt God’s love for us, his forgiveness, it will lead to discouragement.

No matter how long we walk with the Lord, the Devil never stops swinging his sword of discouragement.

Remember the Prophet Elijah who prayed down fire from heaven and God destroyed 450 prophets of baal?

We find the story in .

Elijah had a number of spiritual victories.

In this particular victory, he challenged the prophets of baal to have their gods bring down fire to burn the sacrifice.

It didn’t happen.

Then he prayed asking God to bring down fire to burn up the sacrifice that had been placed on the altar.

God gave him the victory!

You would think that would be enough for Elijah to remain strong in his faith, living without discouragement.

However, After the fire the Bible tells us… that when King Ahab told his wife Jezebel all that Elijah had done to the prophets of the false god baal, she sent a message to Elijah - the reaction of Elijah was one of fear and discouragement; he ran for his life.

He was so discourage that he wished to ‘die.’

After running for miles, he was tired and fell asleep.

He was awaken by an angel, who had prepared a meal for him.

He ate it and fell asleep again.

The angel came a second time and he was told to eat again, so he did.

He then went on a journey for 40 day.

When he arrived at his destination, the Lord himself speaks to him …

God assures Elijah in a “still, small voice” that there are still 7,000 in Israel that have remained faithful and that have not bowed to Baal, .

Elijah learned the truth that spiritual victory does not insulate us against discouragement.

Rather that God assures us in the midst of it.

Someone has said, “Satan has many tools, but that discouragement is the handle that fits them all.”

There is much truth in that.

You may have been saved for years, but if the devil can get you discouraged in your walk with the Lord, he can get you out of the battle.

If he can get you focused on your problems, on the failures in your life, on the shortcomings of others, or on any negative thing at all, he can overwhelm your defenses and cause you to doubt the Lord’s goodness.

We don’t think about it like this, but it’s true: when we allow problems, pain, people, and other situations to make us discouraged to the point where we quit on God, the devil has won that battle.

For a period of time, he has caused us to doubt the goodness and grace of God.

Regardless of the reason we name, when we allow Satan to discourage us to the point where we stop serving the Lord, we are, at that moment, looking God in the face and telling Him, “I don’t believe you are bigger than this!”

That may sound farfetched, but it’s true nonetheless.

Another man who wore the “helmet of salvation” to great benefit was the prophet Jeremiah.

When the Lord called Jeremiah, the Lord told him that he would be rejected, persecuted, and attacked.

Yet, Jeremiah said this, .

Be sure “the helmet of salvation” is in place, and refuse to allow Satan to focus your attention on the events of life, or by the actions of people.

If he can get your eyes off the Lord and on the difficulties of life, you will be easy prey for his slashing broadsword.

Ill.

Asaph - .

It’s hard not to be discouraged when it seems like everything in life goes against you.

It’s easy to be discouraged when the answers to your prayers are delayed.

It’s easy to be discouraged when feel ineffective.

Discouragement is our default setting most of the time.

Satan knows this and he exploits this weakness in our lives.

Even when we are discouraged by the events of life, we must never forget that our Father always has our situation well in hand.

He can be trusted to do what is right, all the time, , .

Thus, we must not “be weary in well doing,” but we must carry on, knowing that “in due season we shall reap, if we faint not,” .

So, when we face the enemy in battle, and Satan aims the broadsword of discouragement at our heads, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world,” .

Secondly, the helmet of Salvation protects us from doubt

When we doubt our salvation, we will be discouraged.

When we come to doubt God’s faithfulness, we are easily discouraged.

When we come to doubt the Word of God, we have the very foundations for our hope in the Lord undermined and we have no ground upon which to stand.

If Satan can convince you that you are not really saved, or that somehow, you have lost your salvation, you will be devastated spiritually.

Such doubt paralyzes us and makes us unproductive and miserable.

Nothing more quickly sidelines the child of God than having their peace and security in Jesus stripped away.

When we forget this truth: we are easy prey for the enemy.

Satan has an easy time defeating a believer who has lost the assurance of salvation in Jesus Christ.

But listen to the words of Jesus

If Satan has been beating you with that sword, let me remind you that, if you are in Jesus, you are secure in Jesus.

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In the NT the greek word “Soteria “Salvation” is the concept of “Rescue,” “Deliverance” or “Salvation)

In we read about being born again… being saved from our sins.

(Save Completely)

, (Received through Jesus)

Helmet, the hope of Salvation… Not an uncertain hope, but one that brings with it no shame of disappointment

(good conclusion verse)

On his deathbed, he was heard to say to a friend, “All my theology is reduced to this narrow compass—Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.”

Salvation involves a change in the relationship between God and a person.

Salvation includes God’s adoption of believers into his family, his acceptance of them as righteous and his forgiveness of their sins.

It also includes personal renewal and transformation through the work of the Holy Spirit.