49-53 The Armor of God--Part 3
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Ephesians 6:17a
Ephesians 6:17a
I hope it doesn’t lower your opinion about me…but as a child I used to watch Saturday morning cartoons—virtually every week (Bugs Bunny, Tom & Jerry—something about talking animals and the suspension of the laws of physics—real entertaining).
Whenever one of the characters was faced with a moral dilemma, 2 other characters would appear: on one shoulder there was an angel dressed in white with wings and a halo (clearly an angel). On the other shoulder was the devil (you’d know it was the devil b/c he was dressed in red, with a tail, horns and pitchfork).
So, what does the devil look like? In our western culture—maybe you’re imagining a demonic being with a pointed tail, horns, dressed in red tights and holding a pitchfork? That’s actually one of the most common portraits the people think of today.
In his poem, Dante Aligheri (The divine comedy 14th C) portrayed the Devil as a grotesque, winged creature with three faces—each chewing on a devious sinner—whose wings blew freezing cold winds throughout Hell’s domain. By the end of the middle ages the enduring picture of the devil is what the modern mind thinks of...
Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 5434 Satan as Amusing One
5434 Satan As Amusing One
One of Satan’s characteristic stratagems is to give those who believe that he does exist an entirely wrong concept of what his true nature and character really are.
In the Middle Ages, when there were no radios, no magazines, no newspapers, no movies, no telephones, and none of our modern means of passing the time, the people were frequently amused by the miracle plays. These were a sort of religious pageant in which religious stories were acted out on the stage.
The audience learned to look for one character on the stage who was always dressed in red, wore horns on his head, and a tail dangling out behind him. His hoofs were cloven, and he had a pitchfork in his hand. The onlookers were quite thrilled when they saw this figure sneaking up on the hero or the heroine. The idea arose that Satan could be called the “old Nick,” or “his satanic majesty,” and that he was a slightly comic character.
—Donald Grey Barnhouse
No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
Since Satan is a liar he wants people to think that he either doesn’t exist or that he really is not a threat to humanity. Paul’s message to the Ephesians raises the alarm to not take the chief enemy of God lightly but to resist, to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
And the provision God makes for every believe is His armor which is complete and effective “so that you will be able...” (vs 11). It something I’ve not given much thought to previously but it is being pressed on me how the LJC is the armor that protects us. That is, every piece Paul mentions under the inspiration of the HS expresses how Christ is the fullness of His church (1:23).
The belt of truth (JC Jn 14:6)
Breastplate of righteousness (By Christ’s righteousness that you stand justified, and according to His righteousness that we live holy lives)
Feet shod with gospel (the good news centers around the person and work of JC)
Shield of faith—Jesus is the author and perfecter of faith (Heb 12:2)
5. The Helmet of Salvation
5. The Helmet of Salvation
The connection to Christ is apparent:
“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Jesus is equivalent to Joshua in OT—YHWH is salvation.
“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
Paul relates the helmet to salvation and picks up the imagery of the divine warrior
He put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.
In Eph Paul says “and take...” (means to take, receive, grasp) and AMImp —speaks of definite action to receive God’s provision for the spiritual conflict which obviously involves the mind.
The Roman helmet was made of either thick leather with pieces of metal attached to it. Or, wealthy soldiers wore helmets of bronze (would offer greater protection). No soldier would go into battle with his helmet. The sword could deliver a crushing blow to the head which would be fatal without the helmet.
The Journal of Biblical Counseling: Volume 17, Number 2, Winter 1999 (Take up Your Weapons: Ephesians 6:10–20 (Paul David Tripp))
The helmet indicates our identity: we are in Christ the Savior. Christ defends us. Our salvation serves to keep us safe...Wear the helmet of salvation. Accept your identity in Christ. Appreciate your final distance from Satan. We have a sure salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ first wore the helmet (Isa. 59:17; see the breastplate of righteousness, above), and we are in Him.
As the helmet protects the minds of believers, it seems as though the blows, the attacks would be directed against what/how the believer thinks—particularly in relation to his salvation. MacArthur suggests 2 edges of Satan’s sword are discouragement and doubt.
A. Discouragement
A. Discouragement
We’re prone to be discouraged. Satan begins the attack by having us focus on our failures, sins, inadequacies, unresolved problems, negative circumstances, etc…when we do we lose sight of the loving & caring concern of our heavenly Father (its as if we’ve taken off the helmet)
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
Howard Dial explains:
The Journal of Pastoral Practice: Volume 3, Number 1, 1979 Dealing with Discouragement (Howard E. Dial)
The biblical record bears this out by revealing Israel’s struggle with discouragement. It was discouragement which kept the nation from entering Canaan. They were on the threshold of the promised land, but let the obstacles ahead keep them from achieving the objective. Their attitude was marked by a lack of faith, and they were intimidated by the presence of the sons of Anakim. They were afraid; they balked and consequently failed God. Forty years later Joshua charged a new generation of Israelites to be strong and courageous, and not to be dismayed1 (Josh. 1:9). Joshua had vivid memories of a disobedient generation dead in the wilderness because of a lack of courage. He therefore underscored the need for courage (Josh. 1:6, 7, 9, 18). By the time Israel had achieved only one strategic victory (Jericho) she encountered a bout with discouragement. The defeat at Ai caused the hearts of the people to melt and become as water (Josh. 7:1–5).2
Elijah is another who battled discouragement. He had a tremendous spiritual highlight when he called fire form heaven to consume the water-drenched sacrifices on Mt Carmel. He killed 450 prophets of Baal and reported to King Ahab that it would finally rain on the land. But his wicked wife (Queen Jezebel) heard about the slaughter of the 450 prophets she said:
Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”
And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”
The Lord didn’t take his life but instead fed him and he went into the wilderness, sustained by that food for 40 days & nights. 2x the Lord asked him “Elijah what are you doing here?”
Then he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
“Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
In Nehemiah 4:10–23
Jews who were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem struggled with discouragement. Several things had contributed to this. The Jews were being ridiculed by their enemies. Rumors of imminent invasion and attack were many. Their God was blasphemed in the hearing of the builders. They were tired from overwork. Fellow Jews wanted them to stop work and help defend their families. They were mentally and physically fatigued and were ready to quit. “And we ourselves are unable to rebuild the wall” (Neh. 4:10).
B. Doubt
B. Doubt
Satan loves to assail believers with doubt. In this you can see why the provision of the Lord to cover the mind is so important. Satan delights whenever God’s people doubt Him, His faithfulness, His nature, His character, His goodness… Just like in the Garden with Eve Satan tempts us to doubt God: Did God really say…(you have many examples)...
God said: Satan asks:
You are declared righteous. Are things really okay between you and God? (It sure doesn’t
look it.)
Jesus died for you. How do you know? (Why would He die for someone like you?)
I will make the whole world right. Do you have any evidence? (God is just kidding.)
No temptation will be too great. Wouldn’t you really like ——? (Some things are just too
tempting.)
I love you. Do you feel loved? (God has forgotten about you.)
You are forgiven. Do you feel forgiven? (You’re such a mess—there you go
again.)
I will take care of you. Well then, why do you have such problems? (It doesn’t
seem like He cares.)
The thing that believers most often doubt is expressed in the nature of this piece of spiritual armor: the helmet of salvation—so Xns doubt the assurance of their salvation and question if they could or have lost their salvation.
How miserable is the insecurity of eternal life for the believer:
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
It is clear that when we sin, we lose the joy of salvation.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation And sustain me with a willing spirit.
David didn’t forfeit salvation on the occasion of his sin…he lost the joy of it—but restored upon repentance.
1Jn written that joy would be made complete…and
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.
I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him
Satan wants you to question your salvation and he will attempt to confuse you about God’s promises relating to His gracious provision of eternal life. This is why Scripture repeatedly addresses the area of the security of the believer:
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Paul gives the command to take/receive helmet of salvation…but since he is writing to Xns it doesn’t have to do as much with initial salvation as with the present experience of the believer’s salvation.
In Bible—salvation relates to the 3 tenses (past, present, future).
Past
Past
Those who are in Christ have already been saved.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Salvation in the past refers to two great acts of God – our justification and subsequent adoption as sons. In justification, God declares that the righteous requirements of the law have been accomplished on our behalf. The righteousness of Jesus is imputed to us so that God declares the believer to be innocent. He therefore stands right before God.
Adoption is the act of God whereby those who have been justified are declared to be His children. They are adopted in His family and become heirs to the riches Christ gained for us. While this is a past reality, it looks to the future for its fulfillment.
For the Xn today... Salvation as a past reality frees us from the power of guilt for sin which so often entangles us. We have assurance that the act of salvation is in our past, and when we were saved the guilt for our sin was transferred to Christ’s account. You can see how this delivers us from the attacks of Satan that would lead to discouragement and doubt.
Present
Present
Those who are in Christ continue to experience salvation.
The process of salvation is ongoing so that it is a present reality as much as it is a past reality.
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Salvation in the present highlights two more great promises of God – sanctification and preservation. Sanctification is a process that is ongoing in the lives of believers. The Holy Spirit indwells us at the moment of salvation and begins to transform our lives so that we become more and more conformed to the image of holiness modeled in Christ (2 Cor 3:18; Rom 8:29).
The present reality of salvation also promises preservation/perseverance so we can have full confidence that we will continue as believers to the end. We do not need to worry about losing the salvation which God granted to us, for He continues to sustain us on a continual basis.
Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Salvation, then, in its present reality, allowing us to progressively be freed from the power of sin. Having been once-for-all declared right in God’s eyes, we have been freed from our guilt and now can begin to be freed from sin’s power.
Future
Future
Believers in Christ will experience salvation in the future.
More than just the past and present, salvation points forward to the future.
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
Salvation’s future reality points forward to our upcoming glorification. Glorification is a future work of God in which the dead will be raised with new bodies and will be ushered into the presence of Christ in the kingdom of heaven. Then will our bodies be freed from all of sin’s corruption. In Romans 8:23 Paul calls this the “redemption of the body.”
The future reality of salvation is that we can look forward to being freed from sin’s presence. Having been delivered from the guilt of our sin and having progressively been delivered from sin’s power, we can look forward with great anticipation to the end of sin’s presence in our lives.
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
1Th 5:8;
The helmet is the hope of salvation which puts that into the realm of the future aspect of salvation. This has special bearing on what Paul teaches in Ephesians and immediately relates it then to the faith (shield of faith).
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?
Hope is established on the certainty of God’s promises. You can see why Satan would go there and introduce thoughts of doubt regarding the character of God. This present struggle will not continue forever and we are assured victory in the end. With that hope we must continue to stand firm.
1 Peter 1:3-5; 6-9;
This salvation is the helmet that brings us certain victory against the schemes of the devil—aimed at our minds, but overcome when each believer lives with the hope of salvation—secured in the past, realized in the present, and guaranteed in the future.
and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
Amidst discouragement and doubt, you have the helmet of salvation—the hope of eternal life.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;
God who promised is faithful—for those who wear the helmet of salvation—what can Satan do to you?