Sunday Remix // Helmet of Salvation

Define // Salvation

Salvation in greek is “soterios” and it means “delivered from danger; brought into a safe place”

There are 3 aspects of salvation

1. Past – saved from the penalty of sin (Ro. 6.23)
2. Present – saved from the power of sin
3. Future – saved from the presence of sin

Salvation is an event.  But it’s also a process.  If you are under the impression that “getting saved” is all Christians focus on, you are mistaken.  “Getting saved” is the first step in a process of total salvation.  How do you get saved? The Bible says that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved.

Describe // Helmet

The roman soldier’s helmet was the most intricate, ornate, and noticeable piece of his armor

1. Bronze
2. Plume of feathers or horse hair, often red
3. Very heavy, sponge inside to cushion
4. Frequently fashioned to look like the head of an elephant or horse
5. Paul uses the greek word “perikephalia” which means “to fit tightly around the head”
6. The angle of the helmet protecst from horse-mounted downward blows
7. And it was meant to protect against HEAVY weapons like battle-axes

Just like the roman soldier’s helmet, our salvation is designed to be the most intricate and noticeable part of our armor.  And, the knowledge of our salvation is meant to protect us from the heaviest weapons used against us.

Destroy // Helmet of Salvation

The helmet protects your brains, where battles are won or lost.
Think about it:  Most of our struggles begin with our thoughts, don’t they?

• We think…no one likes us
• We think…no one will notice
• We think…no one will miss us
• We think…it won’t become a habit
• We think…our parents are idiots
• We think…we won’t get caught
• We think…everyone has one

This is the enemy’s battle plan.  Satan plays mind games. But 2 Corinthians 2.11 says we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs (schemes).

You’re going to mess up for the rest of your life.  But the good news is when you do, salvation remains and Jesus wants you to repent so you don’t live as a whipped Christian who thinks the event of salvation is all that matters.  So, how do you protect your head?  1 Peter 1.13 says Therefore, preparing your minds for action,  and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

It literally means “gather up the loose ends of your mind.”

Think of it like a frayed pair of jeans.  You may be solid where you need to be, but there are areas of your life that are loose ends that, left unmended, will begin to unravel.

Gather them up under the helmet of salvation so that your mind may be fully protected.

Eulogizing My Father

In the summer of 1997 I earned my father’s respect.  I was 15 and he was crazy.  The two of us spent 2 weeks in an aluminum canoe in the deep Canadian wilderness.  We didn’t know a thing about survival or camping which led to my near hypothermic death on the first night and later my near entrapment at the base of a waterfall.  But we grew together.  We both experienced a tragic learning curve.  We both learned how to catch fish for dinner.  We both endured the incessant complaining of the son of our trip partner.  We both never shaved.  We both never bathed.  And we both came to a new understanding of each other.  I realized the depth of my father’s love for me.  And he realized the assurance that he did, in fact, raise a good young man.

From that summer on I knew exactly how proud of me my Dad was.  I knew exactly how much my Dad would sacrifice for me.  And now I’m here in a situation just as tumultuous as that Canadian river that changed us.

My Father was a good father.  He was a good husband.  He was a good worker.  He was a good man.  And I know most of you in this room want to console me today by saying “he’s in a better place.”  But the reality is: he’s not.  He’s not in a better place because he never began a better relationship.  You would not believe what my Dad had done for me during his life to prove his love and dedication to his family.  And as great as our relationship was, it wasn’t the right one.  My father never had a relationship with Jesus.  And for that I cannot be consoled.  But you are here.  And you can hear my words.  And I want you to know I am terrified for your sake’s knowing what my father is experiencing right now.

No amount of good is good enough.  No amount of humility is humble enough.  No amount of love is deep enough.  These are things we try to do to be “good people.”  But the reality is Heaven is not a place for good people.  Being in the presence of God is not reserved for the morally upright.  It all comes down to Jesus.

Life is not about rites of passage.  Life is not about earning the respect of your family.  Life is about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  I spoke frankly with my father about salvation through Christ alone, yet he never saw the validity in his own life.  And now he has passed.

But you remain.

You have a chance to reserve for yourself a different fate than that of my father.  And that comes only by having a relationship with Jesus Christ.

My father supported me in all my endeavors.  He respected the man I became in the summer of 1997 and never shied away from his son.  And so I know, even now, as I eulogize my father, he would be proud of me for standing up for what I believe in.  I will miss my father tremendously.  He was a great man and I will always admire his dedication, his sacrifice, and his love.  The man I am today is because of the man my father has always been.  And for that I am eternally grateful.

My father is not dead.  But if I had to eulogize him today, this is what I would say.

[guest post] Who do you say that I am?

The following is a great post written by my wife.  April blogs over on Kahlich[Collage]:

Jesus asked his disciples this question in Matthew 16:15 “Who do you say that I am?” Other people had all different ideas of who he was but Peter replied boldly “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”v.16 And because of his response, Peter was blessed.

It’s amazing all the types of answers you may get when asking about the name Jesus Christ. As our pastor stated on Sunday, “Just saying the name Jesus causes a reaction that no other name will.” How true is that?! People can be ecstatic and declare Him as their Lord and Savior, ashamed because they know who He is but don’t want to live a life that follows Him, disgusted because they are angry with Him, offended because of an other god they may worship, or totally disconnected because they have no clue what He is about nor believe in Him at all.

“It is possible for men to have good thoughts of Christ, and yet not right ones, a high opinion of him, and yet not high enough.” M. Henry

Christ didn’t come straight out and say who he was but rather left it for others to infer by his works.

Knowing all this makes me ask.

“Who does the world say I am?”

Would they just say I’m a loving mother and wife?

Happy and easy going?

An encourager?

These are all great things that I would hope people could say about me but the most important question is…

Would they say I am a firm believer in Jesus Christ, that I follow him in all aspects of my life and it is made known by my actions towards others?

Because that’s the only thing that matters and the ONLY thing I TRULY want to be known about me! I hope that one day I will live up to this image.