Somebody Save Me

Ephesians 6:17a

I receive salvation. I was in trouble. Now I’m not.

This changes how I perceive reality. Salvation keeps us from being blind, deaf, tasteless, dumb and dead.

The Flinching Game

The flinching game. If you flinch, I get to punch.

Jono got good and stopped flinching.

Punched him so he flew into the couch. Hilarious. Side bonus, he wasn’t as good at the flinching game after that!

Flinching is actually a very good survival strategy. It is a great default.

And yet, there are many times in life where you have to learn NOT to flinch.

Boxers train out the flinch reflex. Have you seen that dancing around tapping gloves with tiny little punches? They are training out the flinch reflex. You have to see to block. You have to see to dodge.

This is why the trained boxer would destroy me. One jab towards my eyes and I do this move (cringy flinch). Now I am entirely vulnerable and he can recover, move and take apart my “defense.” Likewise, I am blind to any opportunity of attack or advance.

I bet knights of old (of yore) had to do this too.

So we are talking about spiritual warfare. What is a “spiritual” flinch? And how do we learn not to flinch so we can stand, so we can fight, so we can win?

Helmet of Salvation

We have been participating in the armor so far.

Ephesians 6:13-17

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

These have all been things we have significant participation in.

Speaking truth in love, honesty and authenticity. We put our truth pants on.

Righteousness – right living that leads to right living. We put on our new self.

Beautiful feet of peace – messengers of that peace – at peace with God and one another. We rely in that foundation, we stand in it.

The shield of faith – taking what we know to hold in tension what we don’t know. Holding on to the revealed character and promises of God in the face of the mysteries of God and life.

Verse 17 changes the picture. It is passive, receive the helmet of salvation and the sword. More about the second next week.

17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

You receive salvation. It is different from taking up the others. This is a thing already created, already done, already set in motion, to be fulfilled fully in eternity, but that too is done for you not by you.

You receive salvation.

What is this helmet

The Galea, the classic Roman helmet may be the most distinctive Roman thing. It covers the head, has the little red feathers possibly.

It keeps the arrows or swords from going through the head.

The first century human had a lot of ideas about what went on in the head. They didn’t necessarily think it was the center of thinking. But they knew this:

Head shot = kill shot.

All the pieces of armor are interlinked. Your faith, your salvation, your righteousness, these are all interlocked and interconnected. By faith you are saved, your salvation leads to a life of faith, your salvation includes sanctification which is the process of you stepping into, growing into the righteousness you have in Christ. The gospel of peace is ultimately that same message of salvation that you have placed on your head.

But this word gathers all of those pieces together. What good is armor if you leave the headshot open? The one-shot kill open.

And they knew the eyes were there. The ears were there. The mouth and the nose. Most of what the human takes in, most of the sensory perception of the world, all through the head. So any damage to the head killed or, at the least, likely messed up one’s ability to sense and perceive the world around them.

And so you had to protect the head. And once you have protected the head, in cooperation with all the other pieces of armor, now you are the walking tank on the battlefield. Especially if you are lined up with your fellow soldiers. You are the Roman Legion, you are the invincible world conquering army.

And you can look on the attacking barbarians without flinching. Every attack the comes at you is already taken care by virtue of your awesome armor!

What is this Salvation

So what is this salvation?

Salvation is simply this. You were in trouble. Now you’re not.

This is stupid simple… but you have to know these two things.

You were in trouble

People who do not believe they are in trouble are very difficult to save. “I’m saving your life” “Dude, get off me, I am fine.” If I grab those paddles and try to jump start your heart right now you’re going to resist.

This is a huge principle in sharing your faith, by the way. Offer water to those who are thirsty, give a hand to those who are reaching, preach to those who are listening.

So you have to realize your sin, to know your death and judgment.

But you don’t stay there!!! You are SAVED!

Ephesians 2:4-8

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God

Is that unclear? It doesn’t tell the story of it, so hear it is.

God – son – death – resurrection – glorification

By God’s grace we are saved. By faith we are included in Christ’s death and so in his life and resurrection and glorification.

Past and Future Salvation

But Paul writes this to a bunch of Christian believers. It is helpful as a reminder of their salvation, and a reminder to live in that salvation, and yet, this is not just an altar call. In some way the Christians reading can continue to receive salvation, and that is because salvation is not just a past result, it is an ongoing action and a future fulfillment.

1 Thessalonians 5:8-10

8 But 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. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.

Salvation has this past dimension: the accomplished work of Jesus on the cross. We were in trouble. Now we’re not. We are headed for something beautiful.

Salvation is the whole story, the whole picture. It is not just life insurance for me, it is a remaking of heaven and earth. The universe remade, and this time heaven in the midst of us: God with us. Perfection, completeness, salvation.

When we receive our salvation, our hope of salvation, we can face reality without fear, without flinching.

How is this Spiritual Warfare

This is what any spiritual force would desire. We talked about it with faith: cause us to throw down our faith in fear. We talked about it with peace, cause us to lose our footing.

If our enemy can just get us to flinch… to panic. To feel trapped forever in need of saving… that’s a lie, isn’t it? We are saved already.

The enemy’s desire is to steal the joy of His victory and render us ineffective in the advance of His Kingdom. If he can blind us, deafen us, cause us to flinch away from life as it really is – he does that.

Examples

In the face of evil, just pretend it isn’t happening. Hear no evil, see no evil, do no evil.

The fully armored Christian can look evil straight on without fear, without flinching. I know there is evil. I am saved. There are those who need to helmet up! But it is all headed for beautiful recreation.

In the face of evil, evil culture, evil politics, evil politicians (topical?)… just retreat into a Christian bubble. Filter it all out. Same thing, isn’t it? The fully armored Christian is ready to battle for the culture, standing firm.

In the face of attacking enemies, take off your helmet and pretend to blend in. Maybe they won’t notice if you talk like them, look like them, act like them, sin like them

How do we Put it On (Receive It)?

You receive this truth: you are saved. You are saved and headed for salvation.

And let that recolor the way you see life. Receive it and let it work on you. Receive your salvation and let it protect you. Let it protect your eyes and the way you see. Let it protect your ears and the way you hear. Let it protect you.

Let it change the way you think.

So much of the spiritual battle is in the mind. In the way that you see and the way that you think.

Salvation is the power to look at life without flinching. You are safe, you are saved.

… and you can see clearly.

Save Me Lifeguard

Boogie boarding in Huntington Beach. Trapped by the pier. Saved by a lifeguard.

He tosses me the life preserver.

Still in the water. Still the sucking waves toward the pier. Still the depth, still the crash, still tired. Still in the exact same geographical position. But I am holding on to the life preserver. And that is a rope connected to the life guard. And he is swimming me in.

I was in trouble. Now I’m not. I am headed for the shore.

After the swallowing of salt, the thrashing of limbs against the water, the fear of being smashed against the wood of the pier, the fear for my brother and for myself…

We are headed for that blessed shore.

Warmth and sand. A towel and ice cream. Rest and life and everything good. We are headed for that blessed shore. And we wear the hope of salvation as our helmet.

So I pick up my head. I see that I already have the lifeguard’s lifesaver in my hand. I was in trouble. Now I’m not. I look and I see the shore and everything that is waiting for me.

I am still in the middle of my present circumstances. But it changes how I perceive it all. It changes how I see, perceive, and experience my present circumstances. I am saved and I am headed to salvation.

Let salvation change the way you see. To see your surroundings without flinching.

You were in trouble.

Now you’re not.

We are headed to that beautiful shore.