I. Be Aware
II. Be Alert
III. Be armed & aggressive
A. Be fully empowered
B. Be fully armed (Put on / Take up God’s complete armor)
C. Stand firm – engage the enemy
1. Stand firm having girded your loins with TRUTH
2. Stand firm armed with RIGHTEOUSNESS
3. Stand firm prepared with PEACE
4. Stand firm shielded by FAITH
5. Stand firm protected by SALVATION
Truth enables an accurate overall perspective on life and demolishes Satan’s lies.
Righteousness enables godly thinking and living and defuses Satan’s condemnation.
Peace guards relationships with our inner and outer world and dissolves Satan’s chaos.
Faith insures courage n battle and deflects Satan’s flaming darts.
Paul then instructed all believers to take up a protective shield.
in all these things, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:16-17
Why do we need this piece of armor? Again, as with all the other pieces of armor, salvation is something supplied by God that we must personally apply or appropriate.
In order to confidently march against the gates of hell’s fortresses, we must be absolutely secure in what God has done for us and in us. We must trust in the armor provided to us by God. The enemy will do everything possible to break our confidence in not only our salvation but our Savior. The more protected we feel the more bold we become against the enemy. If Satan manages to break our confidence in the salvation provided by God, He can bring big time defeat. Since he is a defeated foe he must resort to intimidation.
So often, people back off from spiritual warfare for fear of Satan’s retaliation. It was because they don't understand the glorious power of their salvation or their Savior.
Without confidence in our salvation and our Savior we will cut and run every time.
THE CONCEPT OF SALVATION
Just how key is this term in the Old Testament? It is the name given to Jesus.
“Yeshuah” Yahweh saves!
There are 353 occurrences of the Hebrew root in the OT.
The noun is translated “deliverance, help, salvation, victory, security”
The verb is translated, “avenge, deliver, preserve, help, save, savior”
The base meaning is to “make wide or sufficient”. The term presupposes a problem or predicament that requires outside intervention. It implies that one has encountered a problem requiring something or someone outside their personal resources to rescue them.
It is used to describe rescue from national or individual distress, enemies, sickness and natural disasters like plague or famine. It can describe a rescue from personal distress like worry, fear, confusion, etc. In a spiritual context it describes a deliverance from God’s eternal judgment, Satan’s bondage, and sin’s hold.
Salvation has been the cry of the human heart ever since the fall. The promise of a Savior came smack dab in the middle of the pronouncement of the curse. God’s plan to save mankind has been unfolding ever since. The Psalms are particularly full of references to salvation and a Savior. That is particularly significant in light of the fact that many of the Psalms have to do with spiritual warfare. Since we have a formidable foe that is out to destroy us, we need the hope of a forceful Savior who has promised to rescue us.
Psalms 27:1-3 Psalms 20:6-9 Psalms 25:5 Psalms 62:5-8
The promise and picture of a Savior and salvation is all through the Old Testament.
In a real sense, all the roads of the Old Testament led to Jesus. In the New Testament we read about the announcement of the angel.
"Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:8-11
Paul declared…
It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. 1 Timothy 1:15
As one might expect, the Greek term translated to save, recover, rescue, restore is all through the New Testament. The concept is pretty simple. It describes the act of rescuing someone from a difficult or desperate situation.
“Save” describes the act of saving.
“Savior” describes the one who rescues.
The word salvation is a broad term used to describe what Jesus did in order to deliver us out of a state of desperation and hopelessness into the hope of eternal life.
It is used in reference to a settled past occurrence -- you have been saved.
It is used in reference to a present unfolding reality -- you are being saved.
It is used in reference to a future hope -- you will be saved completely.
It is a major division of systematic theology. The division is called “soteriology” after the Greek work soteria. The study of salvation.
My desire is to provide a sufficient enough grasp of the subject to enable you to stand in confidence against the enemy’s attacks as well as appreciate the wonder of what Jesus did for us.
The first passage is 1 Peter chapter 1.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Peter calls believers to bless God. Peter wants believers to speak well of God because of something he has done. What has he done?
who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Here, Peter shares God's action, motivation and means. God re-birthed us.
The word comes from the word to give birth linked with the preposition again. Peter calls us to praise God because He brought about a second birth into a His family. What's the basis for such a wonderful thing? He did it out of his great mercy. Not just mercy, but great mercy. Mercy has to do with benevolent action based on compassion and pity. In mercy God withheld but we actually deserved in our pitiful condition. We deserved eternal separation and punishment but God re-birthed us into his family. Our new life comes on the basis of the resurrection of Christ. Because Jesus rose from the dead, we live also.
Peter called this a “living hope.” This is a living hope because it is a continual hope. Hope has to do with the confidence that we will receive something promised that we don't have yet. This foundational aspect of our salvation is a done deal. God caused us to be born again to this living hope.
Along with this new birth into God's family comes an inheritance. This is in an inheritance not like any other inheritance. Listen to Peter's description.
to an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
It is imperishable. It is undefiled. It is unfading. It is untouchable. The reason our inheritance is imperishable undefiled and unfading is that it is being continually guarded in heaven. “reserved” is a perfect tense participle indicating an action which happened at a point in time and still going on. It is the word guard or watch or maintain. Our inheritance has been put away in heaven and is still there waiting for us. Whenever God has for us it is absolutely glorious. An inheritance usually has to do with something that was owned by our parents. If that concept is true, our inheritance will include everything God owns.
Whatever is His, is ours. Everything that is valuable to God is reserved and available to us. That is our hope. That is the hope of every believer. That is the hope of every child of God who by his mercy has been birthed into his family.
Not only is our inheritance and secure, but WE are secure.
who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
A more literal translation of this passage might look like this.
You have been reborn to an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading having been kept in the heavens for you, the ones continually being guarded by the power of God unto a salvation prepared to be uncovered in the last days.
The action of the word guard is a present passive participle. This is something that God is doing for us by his power. How long? Until the time God is ready to uncover the full glory of our salvation. Here's the future aspect of our salvation. I love the verb used here.
It is a word that means “to take the cover off.” Right now we only see a little bit of this salvation picture. One day, God is going to blow the lid off and let the whole thing explode. It's going to happen because it is already reserved in heaven. In the meantime, our inheritance is secure and we are secure.
What about the present reality?
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9
The outcome of our daily faith is the daily experience of salvation. Life down here continues to provide opportunities to trust God. As we trust Him we realize His continual renewal and salvation of our souls. Every day brings an opportunity to see His saving power in action. Save us from ourselves. Save us from the enemy’s harassment.
Save us from harm. Save us from defeat.
Not only does the prospect of our future salvation inspire great rejoicing, but we can also rejoice with inexpressible joy for the opportunities to trust him in a fallen world. Peter calls us to bless God because we have become recipients of what the prophets only caught a glimpse and into which the angels to look.
As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look. 1 Peter 1:10-12
Why did Peter talk about this great salvation?
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13
When we get our hope and fixed on this great salvation past present and future, our minds are prepared for action against the enemy who would rob us of joy inexpressible.
The second passage I want to explore is Ephesians Chapter 2.
Paul spent the whole first chapter outlining the wonders of our great salvation. We can only appreciate the glory of this work on our behalf when we understand our miserable condition. So Paul begins the second chapter with a gripping phrase.
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins
Paul referred to his former state and that of the Ephesians without Christ as DEAD! Obviously he was still talking so he was not referring to physical death. Why do we need salvation?
Because without Christ we are dead to God. It doesn't get much worse than dead.
A dead person cannot help themselves. A dead person is unreceptive to the world around them. A dead person has no consciousness. Without outside intervention there is no recovery from death. What caused this miserable condition? Trespasses and sins!
Trespasses have to do with walking where we shouldn't.
Sins have to do with failing to walk where we should.
Either one ignores God’s law. Sin breaks connection with the source of life and energy as sure as corrosion prevents the starter from drawing its power from the battery in order to start the car. Disconnected from power we say that our car died.
Isaiah put it this way. 59:1-20
Who was the instigator and driving energy behind this rebellious way of life?
you walked
according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air,
according to the spirit that is now working in (energizing) the sons of disobedience.
We all lived
in the lusts of our flesh,
indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
We all were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
Every person ever born is in need of salvation. This is the story of every person. This is your story.
Every person who fails to put God first in their life is dead and a child of wrath.
Every person who misuses God's name is dead and a child of wrath.
Every person who fails to honor their parents is dead and a child of wrath.
Every person who has ever stolen anything is dead and a child of wrath.
Every person who has ever lied is dead and a child of wrath.
Every person who has wanted what somebody else had is dead and a child of wrath.
Every person who has ever hated and harbored bitterness is dead and a child of wrath.
Paul clearly proclaims that our trespasses and sins resulted in spiritual death and will eventually lead to physical and eternal death. The whole human race is doomed to eternal wrath for their rebellion against the Creator.
Then some of the most powerful words in the entire Bible were penned by Paul.
"But God!” God did something about our condition because no one else could.
That Redeemer has come! There is a redeemer – Jesus God’s own Son. For unto us was born that day a Savior which was Christ the Lord.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-7
He made us alive. He raised us up. He seated us with Christ where our life is now hidden with God awaiting our full salvation. It will be a “grace show” for eternity.
So where do we get tickets for this glorious show?
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. Ephesians 2:8-9
Be absolutely clear. This glorious salvation flows from the heart of God. We cannot earn it. You cannot work for it. We receive it when we realize that our only hope is to trust God for our salvation and we chose to come back into relationship with the God we offended.
Titus 3:3-7
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10
Now rather than living according to the course of this world…
Now rather than living according to the prince of this world…
Now rather than being a child of wrath…
We are his workmanship (His creative poem) created in Christ to live a completely different life the way God intended it from the beginning. If you have never been born again to a living hope, today is your opportunity to receive it. If you've received it, today is your opportunity to live it. Paul said work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
Peter's exhortation to those who he called to bless God for rebirthing to a living hope was followed by an exhortation to live out this glorious salvation.
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY." If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 1 Peter 1:13-21
Jesus paid the ultimate price to save us all for all eternity.
He is the Captain of our salvation. Heb 2:10
He is the source of our salvation. Heb 5:9
He is the horn of salvation appointed by God Isa 49:6; Luke 1:69
He is able to completely save those who draw near to God through Him. Heb 7:25
He came to save that which was lost Matt 18:11
God exalted Him as a Prince and a Savior. Acts 5:31
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
