The Christian In Modern Times – The Last Days, And How To Live In Them – The Breastplate And Helmet - Part 3 Series

THE CHRISTIAN IN MODERN TIMES – THE LAST DAYS, AND HOW TO LIVE IN THEM – THE BREASTPLATE AND HELMET - PART 3

We continue to look at living in these current days, one of turmoil and declining values and increasing opposition to godliness.

[C]. ARMING OURSELVES FOR LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS

[10]. THE CHILDREN OF LIGHT MUST WEAR THE BREASTPLATE AND THE HELMET

We return to Thessalonians. {{1Thessalonians 5:4 “but YOU, BRETHREN, ARE NOT IN DARKNESS, that the day should overtake you like a thief.”}} Paul assures his readers that that terrible day (the Day of the LORD), “that the day” will not break upon them like a marauding thief, and he tells them why. They do not belong to the darkness. That is so definite. We are sons of light, not of darkness. Light has nothing to do with darkness. The thief belongs to the night.

Then we come to the next 4 verses which make the distinction of light and darkness even stronger. Paul has just said that the day of the Lord will not overtake us as a thief, and continues – {{1Thessalonians 5:5-8 for you are all SONS OF LIGHT AND SONS OF DAY. We are not of (the) night nor of darkness, so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober for those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night, but since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on THE BREASTPLATE OF FAITH AND LOVE, AND AS A HELMET, THE HOPE OF SALVATION.”}}

Light and darkness, is one of the great themes of the Bible and represents good and evil; Christ and Satan; right and wrong. In Genesis 1:1 God created the whole universe, and it would have been in glorious light, but in the next verse we find the earth was in darkness, having entered that state almost certainly through a judgement. Darkness never represents good or God. We were all children of darkness once, but God called us out of darkness into light through His new creation of redemption.

You know in the light of the sun, the breastplate and the helmet of the soldiers in the Roman army shone with a brilliance. It was in the light the sun they shone and sparkled. Jesus is our sun and we should shine in brilliance in His presence. There is another reason why these items shone. They received attention as the soldiers polished them, so they gleamed in the sun. Do we gleam in the light of the Son, or are our helmets and breastplates showing corrosion because we have neglected them?

The breastplate of faith and love, two of the greatest words in the Christian vocabulary. Have we been neglecting faith and love? I believe these qualities are not something that we suddenly determine we are going to do/have like determining we will go out and wash the car. These qualities are aspects of growth. They grow and develop as they are fed. How are they fed? It is by the word of God, the bible. It always comes down to the bible. Faith and love will be the product of the Holy Spirit in us applying the word of God to us – {{Galatians 5:22-23 “but the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.”}} Faith is strengthened by knowing the bible and trusting what it says. Salvation, associated with the helmet is another great word in the Christian vocabulary.

Returning to sons of light. John could say – {{John 1:4-5 “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it, and Jesus was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.”}} The Word became flesh and His light was seen in grace and truth. {{The true light had come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light for their deeds were evil,”}} so they shunned the light as do cockroaches, and hated the light. {{“Everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light lest his deeds should be exposed.”}} Jesus told the people, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.” The Apostle John is very clear in his letters about the light and darkness, and delivers this truth for us – {{1John 1:5-7 “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that GOD IS LIGHT, AND IN HIM THERE IS NO DARKNESS AT ALL. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not practise the truth, but if we WALK IN THE LIGHT as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”}}