Life's Hard - Wear A Helmet Series

Sermon Brief

Date Written: September 30, 2008

Date Preached: September 28, 2008

Where Preached: OPBC (AM)

Sermon Details:

Sermon Series: Preparing To Do Battle!

Sermon Title: Life’s Hard – Wear a Helmet!

Sermon Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:8

Introduction:

What is a hat? What is it’s function? There are so many functions for a hat, just think about it!

A hat is used for decoration to accent an outfit, to dazzle those around you and just to look good

A hat is used for recognition… for identification such as a policeman’s hat or a chef’s hat…

A hat is also used for protection such as the helmet for a football player or fireman… or race car driver!

Finally, a hat is also used to give honor and recognition to something or someone such as after 9/11 when all over the nation you saw people wearing NYPD and NYFD hats in honor of those brave men who died trying to save others!

But did you realize that as believers you are called to wear a hat? The Bible speaks about the hat we are called to wear and it calls it the Helmet of Salvation!

When we come to know Christ as our Savior, He outfits us with this helmet of salvation, and the purpose and function of the helmet of salvation are similar to those I just described for a hat…

Let’s look at some Scripture this morning and see what it shares with us about this helmet of salvation:

1 Thess 5:8 [NKJV]

But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

Ephesians 6:17 [NKJV]

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

This morning I want to share 3 separate functions of the helmet of salvation. God has outfitted His people with this helmet of salvation as a distinct part of our spiritual armor and it is there for our identification, our protection and also to bring honor and glory to Jesus Christ who has saved us!

So the first thing I want us to look at is…

The Helmet of Salvation represents who we are…it identifies us! [1 Thess 5:1-10]

As the hat of a baseball player or the helmet of a football player identifies them to their team… the helmet of salvation indentifies the Christian to Christ!

Follow along as I read the 1st 10 verses of 1 Thess 5:

1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

This helmet of salvation Paul speaks about here is part of the spiritual armor that sets you apart from the world. In this passage, Paul uses the illustration of day and night to describe the 2 sides of the struggle all believers have and experience!

The dark represents the evil and broken nature of this world. Here Paul speaks of those who sleep, those slumbering thru life, no cognizant knowledge of events, totally clueless about outside information, and fully NOT prepared for the attacks of the Enemy or the coming judgment of the day of the Lord.

These are the people of the ‘dark’. these people seek only after self-gratification, they are self-centered and spiritually asleep as their focus is inward on themselves and not on the God that gives them life and purpose!

Paul also speaks about the side of light here in this passage, he speaks to believers as being people of the day… or as Paul puts it, “…let us who are of the day…”

Those of the day are the opposite of those of the night and there are no similarities between the two. Those of the day are awake, aware and cognizant of any spiritual danger lurking in their lives! Paul tells us to ‘watch and be sober’ or in other words be vigilant and purposeful in our intentions to serve Christ! The people of the day are not focused on self, but on Christ!