The Helmet of Salvation
Eph. 6:17
Introduction
The helmet protects the head not only for soldiers but also for civilians. The helmet is one of the most important protection of the soldiers in battle. Soldiers cannot go to war without their helmet.
In the company where I worked, wearing safety helmet is a safety requirement. Paul mentions about the helmet of salvation; his instruction is to take the helmet of salvation.
I. What does this mean?
A. Paul is not telling here people on how to get saved.
B. He is writing to people who are already saved.
C. He wants them to know about their assurance of salvation.
II. Satan’s Attack
A. He wants believers to doubt their salvation, discourage them and lead them to depression. A believer who doubts his salvation will live in fear. He has no peace of mind and can never serve the Lord effectively and efficiently.
B. He wants professing Christians who are not really save to feel that they are saved.Mormons, Jehovah’s witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, Catholics, and other groups thinks and claims they are saved but in reality, they are not.
Illustration: Angel of Light
An elderly man said to H.A. Ironside, “I will not go on unless I know I’m saved, or else know it’s hopeless to seek to be sure of it. I want a definite witness, something I can’t be mistaken about!” Ironside replied, “Suppose you had a vision of an angel who told you your sins were forgiven. Would that be enough to rest on?” “Yes, I think it would. An angel should be right.” Ironside continued, “But suppose on your deathbed Satan came and said, ‘I was that angel, transformed to deceive you.’ What would you say?” The man was speechless. Ironside then told him that God has given us something more dependable than the voice of an angel. He has given His Son, who died for our sins, and He has testified in His
own Word that if we trust Him all our sins are gone. Ironside read I John 5:13, “You may know that you have eternal life.” Then he said, “Is that not enough to rest on? It is a letter from heaven expressly to you.” God’s Spirit used that to bring assurance to the man’s heart.
Source unknown
III. Important truths about Assurance of Salvation:
A. Definition of Assurance of salvation
1. To be absolutely confident that we are saved and that if we die suddenly, we sure that we will go to heaven.
2. Assurance of salvation is possessing salvation, possessing the Lord Jesus Christ.
B. Who may have assurance of Salvation?
1. Those who have received Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. (Jn. 1:12)
2. Those who truly believed the Lord Jesus Christ. (Jn. 3:16, 3:36)
C. Basis of Assurance of Salvation.
A. Salvation can never be based on feelings. Satan might control or influence our feelings. Health, weather, circumstances and environment affect feelings. To some, salvation had become an unforgettable emotional experience. To others not, so we cannot make feelings to be our guide and basis for having assurance.
Illustration: Feelings
A man once came to D. L. Moody and said he was worried because he didn’t feel saved. Moody asked, “Was Noah safe in the ark?” “Certainly, he was,” the man replied. “Well, what made him safe, his feeling or the ark?” The inquirer got the point. “How foolish I’ve been!” he said. “It is not my
feeling; it is Christ who saves!” – Our Daily Bread, March 9
B. The word of God has given us three things in which we can base our assurance.
1. The witness of the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 8:16, Gal. 4:6).
a. Before we are saved, the Holy Spirit ministry on us is convicting us of
sins and judgement to come. Now that we are saved, the Holy Spirit,
gives us peace and rest that confirms us that we belong to God.
2. The Word of God. (1 Jn. 5:10,13, Jn. 5:24, Acts 13:39, Rom. 10:13)
a. The Holy Spirit speaks to us through the written Word of God.
b. The Word of God is our strong foundation that indeed we are saved and
we are now the children of God.
c. Two verses that I hold into whenever Satan tempts me to doubt my
salvation is: John 10:28-29 And I give unto them eternal life; and they
shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My
Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to
pluck them out of my Father’s hand. For me no further explanation is
needed here.
3. The changed lives. (1 Jn. 3:14, 2 Cor. 5:17)
a. The Christian is a new creation in Christ. Changed lives on those who
came to Christ is very evident. New love, new likes and dislikes, avoiding
sins, praising and giving thanks to God, Bible reading, serving the Lord
are just few of the new things that tells us that we are really saved.
IV. The helmet of salvation denotes our hope for our future salvation.
A. In 1 Thess.5:8, Paul mentions about a helmet which is the hope of salvation. Let me put the text here. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 and we, being of the day–let us be sober, putting on a breastplate of faith and love, and an helmet–a hope of salvation.
B. What I understand here is that Paul is telling us about the future aspect of our salvation.
1. Our future salvation is guaranteed and nothing can take that away form us.
2. The luxuries of this world, the sensual things, trials and persecutions, etc., may draw our hearts away from God.
3. When believers hope for their salvation, that hope keeps them from being
worldly, being fearful, and being doubters.
4. Many Bible heroes fought their spiritual battles bravely, missionaries standing on their ground even sacrificing their lives because their eyes are fixed on the eternity future.
5. Satan will attack our heads by drawing our attention away from eternal to
temporary, from things unseen to things to things seen. He would put on our
minds our jobs, properties, wealth, health, fame, so we will be weak soldier of Christ. However, if we focus on things that are spiritual, things that are eternal,things that are heavenly, then we can win this spiritual battle.
6. As Paul says, “take the helmet of salvation”. It would protect our heads from the attacks of Satan.
V. Conclusion:
Are you sure you are saved? Do you know where you are going when you die? Have you received Christ as your personal Saviour? Do you really believe Him? Your future depends on your answer here.
