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!
As believers, we are clothed ‘in Christ’ as Paul describes on many occasions in his writings. In other words, what Paul is saying is that once we are saved… we are battle dressed with the armor of God and part of that armor is the helmet of salvation!
That helmet identifies us with our Savior… it identifies us with Jesus Christ… it reveals to the world who we want to be identified with! This helmet not only identifies us as to whom we stand with… but it also identifies us and how we should be acting and living!
Have you seen the way some people wear their hats today? To an ole’ ball coach here, the way some wear their hats today drives me absolutely crazy! They are wearing their hats in every way but the RIGHT way!
Now being an old school baseball coach, there is only ONE way to wear your baseball cap… and that is bill facing forward and level on your head. I would not have allowed a player on my team to wear his hat facing backwards (unless he was a catcher) The only way they wore their hats was MY way… the correct way!
Well, likewise believers are called by God to wear our helmet of salvation a certain way! Not in a way WE determine to be best…but we are called to submit and surrender to Christ and allow Him to set the standard on how we are to wear the helmet of salvation.
We are given this helmet that identifies us with Jesus and reveals how we have changed and who is responsible for that change! This helmet of salvation represents WHO we are after Christ comes into our life! It identifies us as believers in Jesus Christ… it identifies us as believers in Christ as Lord, Savior and God of the universe!
We have learned that the helmet of salvation indentifies us, but how does that work How does it identify us as believers? As we read further in 1st Thess 5 we can see that Paul details how the believer is to act… the believer that is wearing the helmet of salvation.
Comfort one another (believer to believer)
Edify each other (don’t gossip or backbite or tear others down)
Recognize other believers (we are all on the same team)
Recognize godly leadership (God has placed your pastor here to lead you)
Be at peace (with each other, with yourself)
Warn those who are not listening to God’s Word (be bold)
Comfort and encourage those weak in the faith (be strong)
Be patient with all people
Stand up against ALL forms of evil
Always do the right thing
Always rejoice in Christ
Always be in prayer for others and for the kingdom
Always have a thankful spirit
Don’t be a wet blanket just because you don’t like the way things are being done!
These are the evidences in your life that you are wearing the helmet of salvation…that you have come to know Christ as Savior. These things do NOT save you, but these things are what happens to you…and how you act…AFTER you are saved…after you put on the helmet of salvation.
So as believers, if we are to be identified by this helmet of salvation we are to wear it proudly and boldly so that NO ONE is confused where our allegiance lies… As believers we are called to wear the helmet of salvation as God has commanded in His word!
Your helmet of salvation identifies you as a follower of Christ! So let me ask you a question this morning, “Are you wearing your helmet of salvation in such a way that people see your faith? Feel your hope? Know your love for God and others?
Now that we understand how the helmet of salvation identifies believers, I want us to look at another function of this helmet and it is…
The Helmet of Salvation is for our spiritual protection!
[1 Thess 5:8]
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.
The helmet of salvation is for the spiritual protection of the believer:
it spiritually protects us from the enemy who is always out to destroy us…
it spiritually protects us from this evil and broken world…and
it spiritually protects us from ourselves and the terrible decisions we sometimes make!
Now in our world here we know that a helmet is used for protection:
a hard-hat is worn for protection in a construction zone…
a motorcycle helmet is worn for protection when riding a motorcycle…
a soldier’s helmet is worn for protection during training or battle…
a football helmet is worn for protection so that the player won’t suffer head injuries while playing football…
But let’s go back to v.8 here this morning and see what Paul is saying. Here Paul is using an illustration of the breastplate and the helmet. This is important because the breastplate was used by soldiers to protect the heart and all the vital organs of the torso… and likewise the helmet was used for protection of the head, brain, vision, hearing and speech!
How important is a helmet?
Well there was once this man named Cecil Conrad who as a farm boy was tired of waking up at the crack of dawn to clean up after cows, so he lied about his age, and joined the Army and wound up battling Communists in Korea!
In the midst of battle in a far too-shallow foxhole, somewhere north of Seoul Korea, he held his gun close to his head, trying to shield himself from fast-flying shrapnel that "whistled through the air like birds tweeting," he said.
Then all of a sudden, the world exploded in his face. Cecil said that, "It was like being smacked in the head with a baseball bat. It knocked me backwards," as dirt from the explosion close by had hit him.
Conrad didn’t know if he was alive or dead, but he gradually accepted the fact that he was still alive. It was only then when he reached up and touched his helmet! Conrad felt a gaping hole in his helmet that shrapnel from a shell had torn out of the steel.
He said later, "I knew a piece of dirt couldn’t do that," So in truth, by the laws of nature, that shrapnel should have kept on going, making a fatal journey through his skull and brain.
But instead, it struck the steel at an angle that allowed it to cut thru the metal and then bounce harmlessly away. Conrad had a bruise and a really big headache, but he lived to tell the story.
I have heard that Conrad still has that old helmet! That helmet with the tell-tale gash on the brain. Conrad celebrates to this day for that helmet and that it saved his life.
SOURCE: "Korean Vet Thankful For The Helmet That Saved His Life" by Cliff Davis. 11/10/2002. ©The Progress-Index 2002. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=2271&dept_id=462946&newsid=6014233&PAG=461&rfi=9
As believers our helmet of salvation is also for our spiritual protection. In v.23-24 of 1 Thess 5 Paul reveals just how this helmet of salvation will protect the one who wears it!
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
God Himself will sanctify you! Do you know what the word ‘sanctify’ means? It means to make holy, to free from sin or to officially approve of…
So when Paul says here in v.23-24 that those who wear the helmet of salvation:
God is going to make them holy…[set them aside for His purpose and plan]
God is going to free them from sin [forgive and cleanse their hearts and lives]
God is going to officially approve of them [as those who are saved stand blameless before God]
The helmet of salvation assures us sanctification by God… that is holiness, forgiveness and God’s approval! In other words, eternal security… eternal protection from Satan and the damnation he wants to bring on our soul!
Satan may be able to hurt us physically and the world and its evil can surely do damage to us physically… BUT they can never do damage to us from a spiritual perspective to those who wear the helmet of salvation! We are spiritually protected from that!
Now I don’t know about you but I like security… I like to be protected! I don’t mind stepping thru a metal detector at the airport… I don’t mind taking off my shoes… if it protects me I am all for it!
The football player is secure in the knowledge his helmet will protect him. The baseball player who wears a batting helmet knows that helmet is there to protect him from the wild pitch! The soldier wears his helmet to protect his head from flying debris, shrapnel and other objects!
And as believers, we wear the helmet of salvation to protect us from the evil of this world and the Evil One who seeks to destroy us!
As believers we are assured of our standing before God and because of that we are secured in our faith – secured in our love – secured in our hope! In other words, as believers we know that we know that we know! We are secure in our salvation and eternal destiny!
And with that confidence in our eternal security, we are able to more effectively reach out and minster to those who are in need. With that in mind we can minister to those people who are different… those who don’t know about Jesus… and even those who disagree with what we believe! [skeptics and doubters]
Protected by the helmet of salvation, how does that work? How can this helmet protect me as a believer? Well 1st it is like I just stated, your confidence in your security as a believer gives you courage and boldness to minister, but I can see another aspect we need to look at…
Paul states that through sanctification God protects His saints with a peace of heart – a peace that Paul describes in Phil 4:7 as a peace that goes beyond all human comprehension…a peace so great that it guards your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. Sanctification… being made holy, having our sins forgiven and being accepted by God brings peace and protection to the believer!
With the helmet of salvation we are protected in Christ because we are secure in Him…
With the helmet of salvation we are identified with Christ so that we can witness for Him…
Finally today, I want us to look at one other function of the helmet of salvation:
The Helmet of Salvation brings honor to whom it represents [1 Thess 5:9-10]
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.
The helmet of salvation proclaims proudly and loudly that God has changed you and saved you! It screams to the world that God has brought salvation by delivering you from the darkness of sin and from the wrath of God’s judgment.
Christ died so that you might live! Jesus Christ paved the way for you to have salvation! Jesus Christ opened the door that NONE of us could open! Jesus is the reason! Jesus is the ONLY reason we can know salvation. We wear this helmet of salvation to reveal our respect, honor and love for Jesus and what He has done for us!
Now whether you believe it or not… whether you like it or not, the NY Yankees are loved and respected all over the world. you can see a NY Yankee cap from NYC to Tokyo. These people are seen wearing the NY Yankee cap out of a pride for what the organization has done [26 World Series champions]
Like that NY Yankee cap that is worn so proudly around the world, as believers, we are called to wear our helmet of salvation proudly out of our respect and honor to Jesus for what He has done on the Cross on Calvary! We should proudly go out into the world revealing WHO we are, WHO we serve and WHAT He has done!
Do you want to show the world who you serve? Wearing the helmet of salvation reveals who you serve. Through the sanctification that comes in salvation God brings about in our lives… good works! In other words, when we get saved we begin to do good things in His name!
Those good works are not a PART of our salvation and do NOT save us or keep us saved, but those good works are the direct result of our salvation. Jesus taught in Matt 5:16 that our good works should shine bright in this world… in other words they SHOULD be seen! Now we want them seen NOT for our glory or credit but that it brings glory, honor and praise to Christ for what He has done in our lives and for this world!
Conclusion:
Today people wear hats for many reasons, but as believers we wear a special hat, the helmet of salvation, and it has many functions…
1st the helmet of salvation’s function is to identify us with Christ… to let the world know WHERE we stand and WHO’s side we are on…
2nd the helmet of salvation’s function is the spiritual protection of the one who wears the helmet… protecting them spiritually from the Evil One and from the evils of this world…
3rd the helmet of salvation’s function is to give honor and respect to the Savior we serve…
Today as a believer, you have the helmet of salvation! So let me ask you a question. Are you wearing your helmet of salvation as you have been called to wear it? Does it identify Christ in your life?
Are you confident in your obedience and service to God because you know that this helmet of salvation protects you? or do you live in fear of failure or defeat even though Christ has overcome the world and Satan?
Finally this morning, are you proudly displaying your helmet… are you proud to be a Christian? Is the salvation you claim so dear…important enough that you share it with the world around you?
Are you showing respect and honor to God in your service to Him? Are you wearing the helmet of salvation in such a way that you bring Him honor and glory? Does the helmet of salvation allow you to reveal the compassion, patience and forgiveness required of all believers?
Today you have heard how the helmet of salvation that comes to all believers… you have heard how it has several functions… but most importantly you have heard that when salvation comes your way… God is going to move you forward in His kingdom.
Today I call on all believers here this morning… if you are not wearing your helmet of salvation as you should? I call on you to come to this altar and make things right by confessing your sin to God and allowing Him to cleanse you and forgive you!
If you are here and do not know Christ as Savior, I call on you to stop living a self-focused life that believes that YOU know what is best! I call on you to step out this morning and come see me and we will pray… come kneel at this altar and make things right with God! As Bro Parker comes to lead us in our hymn of invitation…won’t you stand and begin to come as Bro Parker begins to lead us…
