Spiritual Warfare THe Helmet of Salvation 09/02/2020

Of the wisdom of God is available to every single believer. Not just the super duper Saints. Not just those who are more spiritual it's available. He says if any of you lacks wisdom, No matter if you're 8 or 80, let him ask of God who gives to all so anyone who wants to do Manor Ministry, if possible to obtain this wisdom through reading the word of God and just asking God for it. I remember when I first started in the ministry. I had a certain prayer that I prayed and I think I pray this prayer everyday. For probably four to five years.

I mean every day when I started reading the Bible or pray that whatever I was doing I would always ask God God. Give me The wisdom that I need not only to preach and teach your word. Give me insight into your word. But I asked him I said I want you to give me the wisdom to know people. And then I would make it more specific. I would say Lord show me. The people who are for me and show me the people who are against me.

I said I need to know that and I pray that prayer. I mean just I mean every single day that was the prayer that I pray everyday always ask for wisdom in learning and reading and studying but always ask wisdom and knowing people and you know, what happened? He gave me that wizard. I asked for it. I prayed for it and he gave it to me. That's all that we have to do. So that's picturing. The helmet of salvation Salvation is personified in Jesus because he is our wisdom. It's required for Ministry. If we don't have his mind, we we can't do ministry. If it's the power of God in our life, that's what that's what his wisdom is we get it by reading the word of God and we get it by asking him in prayer for well. Let's look at practicing the helmet of salvation. So practicing the helmet of salvation. So the key to all this is knowing how to use the helmet now. We kind of grew up. In a generation and I'm talkin about a generation. I'm talkin about the 60s and 70s and part of the 80s. Where it was almost a sign in many churches. That you were very spiritual.

if you were kind of

Ignorant of the word of God and I know that sounds crazy. But there was a time when churches despised higher-level learning when it come to the word of God and a lot of the influential churches rejected that notion. And they established what I would call an intellectual basis for Christianity and that's where we get the whole system of apologetics and education and it came about because of the recognition that Christians were being sent out into the world not equipped in the mental Arena to do battle with secular humanist atheist and Satan himself. And so back in about the mid-70s. It came about the where were you know Christians ought to be smart to we ought to know the book that we say that we love we ought to know you see the power of idea or ideas can change the world. I read a book once on the title was ideas have consequences and that's exactly right. The power of an idea caused communism and Hitler and Stalin.

But it also empowered Lutheran Augustine and John Wesley.

I don't think we've ever been in a place like we are now where we're more sorely needed. are men and women Who are thoroughly equipped with Christian mines that you know occasionally? You will hear me say thank Christian Lee. Let's think about this Christian Lee. This is what we need to do this far too many Christians. Don't think Christian Lee and you can tell that by the things that they say and the things that they write on the internet you read it and you come to a conclusion with this is not very Christian Lee you see the battle is Raging today and we risk losing if we don't have people who are champions for God who understand the word of God who can articulate the word of God and who can stand up and defend the word of God. We need to be that type of people. We need to have a Christian mind and we ought to be as good and our discipline as any medical scientist is in his we ought to be just as good. So what do we have? We have to have the mind of Christ we need this wisdom. But for what reason well number one. We need it for a defense in this hostile world that we live in and I want you to look at a passage of scripture.

The mind of Christ is not in step with the mind of this world is in opposition to it. I think we all can see that on TV now all these mobs going out and tearing up and looting and everything else. That's not very Christian. The world is hostile toward what you think and believe about Jesus Christ. It's just hostile toward us and there was no place more evident than that in the early church. Now, look what Jesus said here and Matthew 10 verses 18 through 20 now watch what he says to his disciples. You will be brought before governors in Kings for my sake. As a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. but when they deliver you up do not worry about how or what you should speak. Where it will be given to you in about an hour what you should speak for. It is not you who speak but the spirit of your father who speaks in you I think about that we go home and we study our Bibles and we read and we pray and ask God for wisdom and one day just out of the blue something's going to happen. And we're going to be put on the spot in someone's going to ask us a question or someone is going to be tearing down Christianity and their we are and what are we going to do? The Lord says don't worry about it. You do what you supposed to do in that hour. I will give you the words that you need to speak. We don't have to be nervous. We don't have to wonder. Well, I just hate to go out and talk to anybody cuz I don't know what to say. You see he will give it to us. Why would he give it to us because we're wearing the helmet of salvation. That's the reason he'll give it to us because we have read his word we have studied and we have asked him to give us wisdom and he will give it to us in the hour that we need. You probably won't have your apologetic Bible or your you know, little sheet with all the answers to the questions with you at that time, but don't worry about that. He'll give you the words to say if you'll just trust in him. He'll give you the right words. I just think about this throughout the Book of Acts when the church first started the apostles they were equipped with the Holy Spirit and they started preaching with power and thousands were being saved Peter. He defended himself in front of the Sanhedrin and it said the council marveled at his words and said, how can a fisherman ignorant man speak like this? It was the power of God. It was a power of the Holy Spirit given him two words to say they said that he speaks as if he has a farty what he does have authority speaking for the Lord. That's our Authority as well it when they heard it. They said that they were so fearful that they plotted to kill him. Here's a here's a fisherman unlearned as he can be speaking to all the intellectuals of his day and they were so gripped with fear that the only way they knew to deal with him. What's the killing and not the waiting people deal with Christianity now, they just want to dispose of it just suppress it. It's because they're afraid of the truth. That's what it is later in Acts Paul. He he disputed with the Jews. Remember he debated with the Sanhedrin to he defended himself against all these mobs. He argued with Felix and with fastest and King Agrippa. And each time. He always gave them the gospel and told what the gospel has done in his life. They was just something in his communication. That was beyond natural ability. Just like you said, I don't speak in men's wisdom. I speak with the power of God. That's what the holy spirit will do for you. He'll give you the words to say and he could do that because he had the power of God in his life and he was equipped with the helmet of salvation. Well, we need to be equipped with that today. Read we can't walk out in this world and have no answers. That's our problem. Now, that's probably how we lost education and the school system. No one had any answers. No one would stand up. We spend too much of our time on the defensive running away from confrontation. And we do that I think because we're not equipped with the mind of Christ. We need believers who can Embrace God's truth and then go out and boldly communicated with a lost world. That's exactly what we need. So it's because of a defense in the hostelworld. We need to be equipped and then let her be We need to be equipped with it because we need to demolish Satan strongholds in her own life. I think about that for a second. Look at what 2nd Corinthians 10:4 through 5 says for the weapons of our Warfare Are not carnal But Mighty in God for pulling down strongholds 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. You see it's the mind is argument is thoughts its strongholds that's in our life. And in our you see the word translated strongholds. That's a military term in the actual word means Fortress. In the Greek. Well, what's the Fortress supplies for enemy is entrenched. if a stronghold the beachhead Satan has a foot in the door in our mine, and we don't think God's thoughts. And so Satan operates in the area of the mind and then he just kind of fans out from there and goes and tries to conquer us. I just think about you know, those who all of a sudden they just start looking at the A Playboy magazine or something like that lewd pictures and all of a sudden they find themselves controlled by pornography. You have people go out and start drinking all of a sudden they're controlled by alcohol you have other people who sit in front of the TV and all of a sudden they're controlled by all these channels where you can buy everything. We should live near lady across the street and I know every two days do UPS. There he just bring box after box after box and she loved watching that QVC or whatever is called and she just bought things all the time.

But the Bible says that we have the power within us to break the strongholds we can break them and we can recapture if you will the territory of our minds for Christ that won't happen right away. It won't be easy but it can be done through the power of God, but we have to have the helmet of salvation and to do that we have to get in God's word and we have to let the mind of Christ begin to give us victory in our life know sometimes I think and I'll close with this. I think that Christians believe that the Bible is like a magic book. They put it on their nightstand at night. And they'll go to bed. It's kind of like, you know, the old saying apple a day keep the doctor away with a lot of people think of verse today to keep Satan away and they'll read one verse or something like that. But you can't put God's word on the nightstand. You can't look at it lovingly as you go to bed. And when you wake up in the morning give it a little Pat and Pat it and things like that and expect it to change your life if that will not happen. That's not how it works if his word is going to change you if his thoughts or going to be your thoughts. Then you have to read your Bible Master is truth if you can the best that you can. And then committed to your mind and heart and then if you do that, God will help you tear down those strongholds in your life. He will do that. That's the only way to have the mind of Christ the put on the helmet of salvation in the holy spirit will help us defeat Satan in our thought life. Amen. Let's play father. We do. Thank you and praise you tonight for for your word. Lord this is so important tonight the helmet of salvation so many of us fail and falter right here in the thought patterns of our hearts and Minds. For many are just captivated by the sinful lust of this world. It's almost like they can't even think for themselves anymore. Lord help us to be men and women who love your word. And who will ask you to give us the wisdom that we need to give us the mind of Christ and all of our endeavors in life in our vocation and our relationships are finances Lord. Give us the mind of Christ and Lord help us to tear down those strongholds this in our life now, but also help us to go out in this evil world and to be able to speak or particularly in a way Lord that would bring honor to you Lord in a way that people will be drawn to you always Lord help us to speak the truth in love. And Lord tonight we want to pray that you would help us as a church Lord to be a church that will. Get your word out to this lost and Dying World the pure gospel. Nothing other than not another gospel. Nothing anything else, but the pure unblemish gospel in your word Lord help me give me the wisdom to preach with power and boldness humbleness and meekness for May the Holy Spirit have his way as I stand up each Sunday and Wednesday Lord. Help me to preach biblical sermons Lord touch me and give me the wisdom that I need to understand your word and that I made preacher in such a way that all the good people here can take it into a flight to their lives in Christ's name. I pray amen. All right.