The Helmet of Salvation

The helmet is the next piece of armor which God gives us to give us the strength to stand firm against spiritual forces of evil. God wants to equip us with his power and might. I love the way Eugene Peterson writes about putting on the full armor of God in his paraphrase of the Bible, The Message:

Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life.

What we want to learn how to apply this morning is salvation, the helmet of salvation, Ephesians 6:17 (CEV) - Let God’s saving power be like a helmet. That’s what we want to put on our head to cover us, the saving power of God. That’s our main point - we want to apply God’s saving power to our lives, to live with confidence of the salvation we have in Jesus Christ. God’s saving power is what enables us to stand against Satan and his accusations.

Satan as Accuser

Which is exactly what Satan is all about - he accuses, he points the finger of condemnation.

Revelation is book of the Bible that’s difficult to understand, but there’s one thing it’s clear about - it speaks of the great cosmic battle between God and Satan, good and evil. Revelation 12:7-10 -

Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.

War in heaven! It’s almost unimaginable…a great battle between Michael and his angels and Satan, the dragon, and his angels. Of course Satan and his angels are defeated (they can’t stand against the power of God), and then thrown out of heaven, hurled down to the earth.

But notice what it says about Satan and what he does here on earth - he leads the whole world astray. He wants the world to join him in his misery.

And He accuses - For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. Satan wants to point the finger and point out everything we’ve done wrong - and do it nonstop. You’re bad. You sinned.

It’s like when your brother or sister were at their worst (or maybe it was you) and they’re more than happy to tell Mom and Dad exactly everything you did wrong.

Why this matters so much - power of accusation

A friend of mine has owned a lot along a lake down in Athens, Texas for a long time. She and her husband had built a small structure, weekend cabin. But they built it too close to the lakeshore. Which was fine for years - until the association that oversaw the lake decided to get tough about enforcing the policies. They had to tear their structure down.

When I was talking to her about it, one comment she made really struck me: “I hate being in trouble”

Isn’t that interesting? They were addressing the problem, taking care of it (threat of heavy fines were a strong motivator). But just the fact that they were seen as rule breakers. Trouble makers. Bad. That’s what bothered her the most.

I can totally relate - that sense of - am I allowed to do this? Am I going to get in trouble - someone will be upset with me? I actually had this experience just the other week, I was walking into Spirit Halloween, whole display that created a hallway…am I allowed to walk through there?!? (I did)

But the idea of being in trouble, being scolded - being accused - most of us try to avoid that! Condemnation is a powerful weapon.

Because we want to be seen as good people. Dallas Willard says that this is a basic truth about people, we know we’re supposed to be good. So we want others to think that we are (we want to think that about ourselves).

Problem comes that we don’t really know how to be good. Most of us, I think, have an innate sense that we’re not as good as we’d like to be - which is why accusations are so threatening. Power of accusation - you’ve done something wrong. You are a bad person (Martin Luther, great reformer…)

How sensitive we are when there’s a tone or suggestion of accusation from someone against us, when there’s even just a suggestion of condemnation.

I mentioned the other week there were charges brought against someone in our Presbytery - Investigating committee had to work hard to ensure that all the information was kept confidential because it wasn’t known whether the accusations were true or false

How easily lives and reputations can be ruined because of false accusations.

Because, let’s be honest, there’s always that desire to know that kind of inside dirt

Power of accusation used as a weapon - thinking about different times in our history when that power has been used.

In colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft. The Salem witch trials resulted in thirty of those accused being found guilty, nineteen of whom were executed by hanging. Telling that the “Crucible”, a play written in 1953 based loosely on the Salem witch trials, is still studied in schools and performed in theaters today. Because some themes never change.

Between 1950 and 1954 Senator Joe McCarthy led a campaign to root out alleged communists in the U.S. government and other institutions. People became afraid to speak against the paranoia because they feared they then would be accused of being a communist - which meant losing your job and being blacklisted, as hundreds were.

Today, the accusation of choice is being labeled a racist (sexist, homophobic). Story that just came out - Jon Gruden, now the former head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders football team

Wrote some ugly things in some personal emails ten years ago, they were mysteriously leaked

Resigned from a $70 million job because those accusations are now on him. Tampa Bay Buccaneers removed him from their Ring of Honor.

I’m not trying to defend his actions - it was ugly what he wrote. What I want to point out is how swift the punishment came against him because of he’s now seen as racist and homophobic. That’s power of accusation.

This is what Satan does, he accuses - lays it all bare, points finger. He brings out all of our wrongdoing before God. You claim these people as your own?! Look at what they do!

Story of Job gives us a behind-the-scenes look of God and his angels. God points out Job’s faithfulness to them all, how blameless and up right he is, a man who fears God and shuns evil. Satan immediately lobs the accusation against Job - “Does Job fear God for nothing?”

In other words, you only reason Job is so faithful is because you’ve put a hedge around him, you’ve coddled him, nothing bad ever happens to him.

Zechariah 3:1 - Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him.

Satan will not let us forget our shameful acts.

The other night, I had some very vivid dreams - all my failures as a pastor. It was not a restful night’s sleep. When I woke up the next morning, that felt like an attack.

If you have a pervasive sense of “I’m not a good enough Christian” - those are the accusations of Satan whispering in your ear.

Those accusations come in all sorts of ways

If people really knew what you’re like…what your really think about other people…what you’ve done when no one was watching

God will never forgive you for that, you knew exactly what you were doing. You ruined that person’s life, that’s unforgivable

How shameful, you call yourself a Christian. No real Christian would ever do that

But w’re not defenseless against these accusations, God gives us the assurance of salvation as a defense. A helmet we can wear to help us stand firm. This is our main point - to put helmet on. To apply the assurance of God’s saving power in our lives.

I want to come back to Revelation passage we looked at before - see what it says after Satan - that great accuser - the one who accuses our brothers and sisters day and night - was hurled to earth, Revelation 12:11-12 -

They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.

How did our brothers and sisters stand firm in the midst of the constant barrage of accusations? They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.

They applied God’s saving power to their lives. Say what you want about me, Satan. I know my sin. But I also know my sin is covered over by precious gift of the blood of Jesus, his amazing sacrificial death for me and for my sin.

That’s the word of their testimony. Accusations are all part of the drama of a court of justice. Satan stands and gives his testimony - Guilty! Bad! We triumph by an even stronger defense - I know that Jesus Christ laid down his life for my and all sins of the world. He conquered sin and death, rising to new life. I stand forgiven. I have been made new in Jesus Christ.

Same thing, Zechariah 3:2-5 (remember, Satan was standing on right side of the high priest, Joshua, accusing him…watch what God does) The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” 3 Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. 4 The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.” Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.” 5 Then I said, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the Lord stood by.

And this is God’s response: He rebukes Satan (twice!!), he comes against Satan in defense of Joshua. God is his defender. God is our defender.

Joshua was a burning stick, a branch thrown into the fire, and God, says, I pulled him out. That’s one stick that will not burn because I saved it.

Then this beautiful illustration - God’s angel directs the angelic beings around Joshua to take filthy rags off of him. “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”

If you’ve ever had that Saturday when you spent morning working in yard, digging in the dirt - hot, sweaty, grimy, clothes are grubby. But you’ve got an event that afternoon - go in, shower up, shave, put on that nice outfit. Feels great. Look great (I look good!).

That’s illustration here, I’m taking all that filth off of you, cleaning you up - I’m taking away your sin.

And presenting you as clean. As New Testament puts it, prepared as a bride for her groom.

This is helmet of salvation - Satan has no basis for accusation any more, none. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Sin has been taken away. Covered with blood of Jesus, his sacrificial death, he became sin for us. To put on this armor is to apply it to our life.

Charles Hodge: “That which adorns and protects the Christian, which enables him to hold his head up with confidence and joy, is the fact that he is saved.”

Main Point: Live out confidence of salvation we have in Jesus.

Spiritual Disciplines - Putting the teachings of Jesus into practice

Make a daily prayer of putting on the full armor of God. To put on belt of truth. Breastplate of righteousness. Shoes of gospel of peace. To take up the shield of faith (trust in person and promises of Jesus).

As part of my daily prayers, using a prayer written by John Eldridge, there’s a part of the prayer that works beautifully as a “helmet of salvation” prayer

“Jesus, thank you for coming to ransom me with your own life. I love you, worship you, trust you. I give myself over to you to be one with you in all things. I receive all the work and triumph of your cross, death, blood, and sacrifice for me, through which my every sin is atoned for, I am ransomed, delivered from the kingdom of darkness, and transferred to your kingdom; my sin nature is removed, my heart circumcised unto God, and every claim being made against me is cancelled and disarmed.”

To be intentionally mindful, reflective when we celebrate Communion each month. The practice of Lord’s Supper is regular reminder that through Jesus Christ we are saved. We have triumphed by the blood of the Lamb. Taking part in Communion is one way we testify - it’s word of our testimony. Take that seriously.

Inspiration -

A Theologian by the name of Craig Koester has a great insight into the Revelation passage, the part where it describes Satan as being “filled with fury because he knows his time is short”: Koester says this: Satan rages on earth because he has already lost and he is desperate.

A desperate person is a dangerous one. But what I really want you to remember - he has already lost. That’s why he’s so desperate. Clock’s ticking on him. Soon it will be game over for Satan. Completely defeated.

The saints have triumphed by the blood of the Christ. His accusations have no power over us when stand firm in the saving power of Jesus Christ.

Martin Luther: I am child of God, I am baptized, I believe in Jesus Christ crucified for me.

Satan’s attack is on our identity, who we are (you are not good)

Salvation is God’s word to us: You are good. I have made you good. You are mine. I have made you my own. Remember that today. Apply it to your life. Put that helmet on - it’s a lifesaver!

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