Introduction:

God had given us the armors by which God promised that we would find strength that no one can match, without limit, no one can conquer as we fight against the devil with all his force, with all his schemes intended to defeat us off the ground that God has provided to us through the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the end of his epistles to the Corinthians, Paul exhorted the Corinthians to be confident in the Victory of the Messiah over death and trusting in the Lord’s promise that He will raise them from the dead that would encourage them to be committed steadfastly, unmovable, and always abounding in their service for Jesus knowing that all their labor was not in vain (I Corinthians 15:58). But how about when the battle we face gets intense, when we are momentary defeated by sins, when we are much ruled by fear and doubt, when we are experiencing long war, then we are covered completely at the severity of the battle, what will be our motivation to remain hopeful in Christ?

The real occurrences in our lives includes when we are continually enslave by our sins, when our physical body got sick and even disease that almost kills you, when your relatives or member of family died unexpected, when we ourselves or someone you love come nearer and nearer the reality of the end of life, when the job or ministry we want to attain has no fulfilled or lost opportunity, when a relationship is broken, when the truth seems lost and injustice is momentarily prevails, out of all these realities given, what will sustain us, keep us going, continue to go forward, and motivates us, strengthen us? What will make us steadfast, unmovable, continue abounding in our love and service to Christ, when sometimes our labor, our life and our service to God seems to be vain?

To give his answer, Paul points the Corinthians and even us today to a piece of armor that God has provided us, and that is the “helmet of salvation”.

Two important things that Helmets are designed to do:

1. To protect the head

Helmets protects the head from being disabled, protect from blow that may result to the loses of body to be functional, rational, and vital. To protect our mind and our thoughts so that we will hold fast to our faith in Christ against the strong doubts that often assail us regarding either his fidelity to us or His presence with us.

2. To remind us of our Lord’s identity

Usually, the Roman army officer helmet would bear a distinctive crest in order for his men recognize him as an officer leader and locate him easily wherever. This helmet reminded us of the identity of our faithful, trustworthy, wise and kind Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We have received the victory at the cross because of the obedience and righteousness of Christ and now we are ready to tell everyone of the peace Christ made for us through His death, burial and resurrection (Gospel). As we bring the good news message of salvation into the kingdoms of the world (Satan’s territory), Christ has given us the armor of God to defend and sustain us in the fierce battle against the power of darkness.

Although God promised us that He made us to be our shield and protection against the attack and arrows that Satan constantly uses to throw against us. But, Paul in his letter warned us that the battle we engage upon would be fought hand to hand combat when we wrestle against the forces of Satan.

God has given us a helmet of salvation to protect our thoughts and minds against the attack of the forces of evil. So, it is very essential to know how this helmet works so that we can wear this helmet effectively according to its intended design.

We are gook to look at some Old Testament passages in Isaiah 59:1-21, and give some applications for us to provide us important insight concerning this helmet of salvation and how to use it effectively.

In the opening statement of Isaiah 59 explained why the people of God have not experienced deliverance of God from their enemies. The absence of God’s deliverance is not due that the arm of God is lack of power, is not due to God’s ear that does not hear their cry to deliver them. The reason why God is silent or absent in spite of their cry to deliver them from their enemies is because their sins and iniquities have separated these people of God from Him (verses 1 to 2).

Isaiah 59:1-2 “Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: ²But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.”

What happened next is the enumerated long list of their sins with their intention to make some deceitful covering of their iniquities and hiding their sin from God.

These people of God, Israelites have full desires to cover up their sins (v.5-6) and continue in their sins, so Isaiah have said in verses 7-8 “…wasting and destruction are in their paths. ⁸The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.”

The wickedness of God’s people were prevalent and rampant and become common of their lives that is why Isaiah said in verses 14, 11 “And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. ¹¹… we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.” The Bible tells us that the Lord is displeased when He saw this. There was no justice but, when this people of

God looked for someone to intervene and deliver the people of God from their affliction and from the consequences of all of this evil, but they found no one to intercede according to v.16 “And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore, his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.”). Since no one intercede for Israelites, the Lord Himself intercede and save His people. The Lord puts on armor, that is a breastplate of righteousness, a helmet of salvation, garments of vengeance, and cloak of zeal.

The Lord will do two things when He comes, the Lord will save His people who repents but He will punish those who continue to rebel against God. After the Lord has done that, the whole earth will fear the name of the Lord and will see and celebrate the glory of the Lord according to verses 17-19 “And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. ¹⁷For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. ¹⁸According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence. ¹⁹So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.”

God will justly perform an appointed Redeemer who comes to Zion according to verse 19- 20 “So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. ²⁰And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.

That is the promise or covenant of the Lord with the Israelites to send this Redeemer to save them from their enemies. The Lord will put His Spirit on this Redeemer and He will put life-giving words in His mouth. In this passage the redeemer will have offspring and they who were offspring and their children will have and keep the words that God has given to this Redeemer according to verse 21 “As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.”

Now, listen it is about 800 years later this Jesus, the Redeemer came to Zion and this Redeemer Jesus Christ brought righteousness and salvation to His people and to the ends of the earth.

While this Redeemer Jesus Christ was here on this earth, He made promises to His people, and those words He promised were given to the Apostles who also gave those words by the Lord Jesus to us. These words that the Lord promised are now our words as a believer of Christ. Those words that comes from the Redeemer and given to us by the Apostles have to do with what will happen when Jesus Christ comes again clothed in vengeance and wrath in order for all the enemies of God will repay according to their works.

Those words of the Redeemer Jesus promised to us as believer that when Jesus comes again or when we shall appear on the Judgment seat, Christ will validate our salvation by saving us from the coming wrath that God will pour out on the enemies of God in this world.

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior also promises to keep us safe from the wrath that Satan aims to attack and hit us as we believers of the gospel live and serve Christ here on earth.

How can we trust these words of God the blessed Redeemer, when it was given to us in times of much intensity we are facing in our present daily lives?

If God is not able to save us as a believer from persecution, from the power and pain of sin, how can we have an assurance that God will saves us in the future or on judgment day?

We need to make sure we really understand this piece of armor that God has provided, that is helmet of salvation

I – THE WORD HELMET OF SALVATION – I Thessalonians 5:8-10

I Thessalonians 5:8-10 “But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. ⁹For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.”

This do not refer to our salvation. Although, the Apostle is addressing to the believers who have already saved and keep telling these believers to wear this helmet of salvation.

We read from the book written of Paul to the Ephesians, that Paul already said to the Ephesians that the Redeemer Jesus Christ has eternally saved them and the guarantee of their salvation is the Holy Spirit according to Ephesians 1:12-14 “That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. ¹³In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”; Ephesians 2:4-10 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, ⁵Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) ⁶And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: ⁷That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. ⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”, thus we strongly and correctly believed that the helmet mentioned here cannot be referring to how can we be saved.

It would help us and provides clear knowledge when Paul told the people who are saved and true believers of Christ in Thessalonica to wear as a helmet and Paul used the phrase “the hope of their salvation.”

When Paul mentioned the words “salvation” and “hope” to the Thessalonians believers, we need to be careful and make sure we know and understand correctly what Paul is talking about.

Let us have some definition of these two words:

Hope = unshakable confidence and expectation

Salvation = about the final judgement where every person will stand before God, either saved from God’s wrath and have eternal life bound to heaven or those who will experience the wrath of God for eternal torment in hell.

Paul writes to the Thessalonians that their unshakable confidence that God will save them from God’s wrath on the judgment day is their protection in this present life. Therefore, the helmet that protects our minds and thoughts is a hope that has a connection with salvation. First, in our present life, salvation from Satan’s accusation against us like what the devil is doing against Job, and Secondly, in our present life, salvation from the God’s wrath on the judgement day.

God gives the Believers of Christ an unshakable confidence that in reality God will deliver them. What these Believers have been given from God that provides them this unshakable confidence? Well, let us go back and read in the Old Testament in Isaiah 59:21 “As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.”

Believers in Christ the Savior have been given a detailed promise or covenant in words that the Messiah gave them through His Apostles.

II – THE WORK OF HELMET OF SALVATION

How this helmet function? Our confident expectation in the promise of Christ to save us both in this present life and in the eternity of life.

The Basis of our confidence is that we believe that God is able to save us from God’s wrath and protect us from Satan’s wrath.

Two passages about the work of the helmet of Salvation:

1. I Thessalonians 1:9-10 – Salvation from God’s wrath to come.

I Thessalonians 1:9-10 “For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; ¹⁰And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”

2. Romans 8:35-39 – Protection from the wrath of Satan.

Romans 8:35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. ³⁷Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. ³⁸For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The Christian confidence is solidly based on the reliable promises of God found in His Holy Word. We relied and trust on the words of promises by our Lord Jesus.

A. God’s Promises rest on the Character of God – Isaiah 59:16

Isaiah 59:16 “And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.”

It is very important to learn and realize that the salvation of God and the righteousness of God has connection to each other. The Bible tells us that God is perfectly righteous, because if not God cannot be God. Since God is completely righteous God, therefore we are confident that He must fulfill every promises He said.

God made a promise or covenant to send a Savior from the Jewish people from their sins. Then that God promise of deliverance was expanded to include us, and that God promised to save us from the coming God’s wrath (I Thessalonians 5:9-10) and also to protect us from the wrath of Satan (Romans 8:35-39).

Being a righteous God, He keep His promises to us and put them in writing for us and we have that now!

B. God’s Promises authenticated by the Complete obedience of God

God is always faithful and true; He never fails in His promises. God is consistently keeping His Word.

God send a Savior the Messiah to the Jewish people of Israel, and He come clothed with righteousness and salvation. Likewise, Jesus our Savior the Redeemer had perfectly obeyed, He willingly offered Himself as our substitute to die for our sins, and the Lord Jesus our Redeemer obtained our salvation.

When this Redeemer Jesus Crist has risen from the dead, God validated that His finished redemptive work was totally complete and acceptable.

Now, this Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, return again, He brings vengeance and will pour His wrath upon all His enemies who rejected Him and refuse to repent from all their sins, that is the content emphasis of the book of Revelation.

III – THE WEARING REQUIREMENTS OF HELMET OF SALVATION

There are things that requires us when wearing this Helmet.

A. Wearing Helmet of Salvation requires Examination – II Corinthians 13:5

II Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

Paul is saying to the Corinthians to examine themselves so they can see if they are in the faith and they need to test themselves. Paul was asking them if they don’t realize that Jesus Christ is in them, unless truly they fail to meet the test. We Christians to wear the helmet of salvation, must examine ourselves to ensure we are in the faith.

B. Wearing Helmet of Salvation requires faithfulness to the faith – Colossians 1:22-23

Colossians 1:22–23 “In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: ²³If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;”

Paul is saying to the Corinthians that since Christ reconciled us to God by His death in order for Him to present us holy, unblameable, and above reproach before God, therefore we must remain faithful in the faith, stable and steadfast.

C. Wearing Helmet of Salvation requires diligent confirmation of our calling and election – II Peter 1:10

II Peter 1:10 “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:”

Peter is saying to the brethren, to be more diligent in confirming their calling and election as a believer in Christ, because practicing the qualities he mentioned in verses 5-7 that includes faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity, will assure them they will never fall. Besides, Peter said in verse 9, if these things are in us and abound, these will not make us neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

D. Wearing Helmet of Salvation requires rest in God’s Word and not in our works – Philippians 3:8c-9

Philippians 3:8c-9 “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, ⁹And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:”

How can we have faith in God’s word and not in our works:

1, Written Word of God must be confidently trusted

2. Will of God must be faithfully obeyed

a. Our life will be shaped by the Word of God

b. Our life will be conformed to the Will of God

c. Our life will be committed to the Way of God

d. Our life will be invested in the Word of God

IV – THE WAYS TO BE CONFIDENT ON THE PROTECTION OF THE HELMET OF SALVATION

As a finite human being with my limited knowledge and perspective about all what happened and will be happening in this earthly life, how can I have complete confidence at all God’s promises that he will assuredly save me in the life that is to come?

A. The official confidence on the words of Jesus that healed his son – John 4:46-54

John 4:46-54 “So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. ⁴⁷When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. ⁴⁸Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. ⁴⁹The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. ⁵⁰Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. ⁵¹And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. ⁵²Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. ⁵³So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. ⁵⁴This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.”

It was a day’s walk in Cana of Galilee and a high-ranking official approached and asked Jesus to heal his son who was miserable and near of death. Surprisingly, Jesus answered the official, “Go thy way; thy son liveth” (v.50). The official who is the father believed the words of Jesus spoken to him and went on his way (v.50). When the father of the sick son arrived home, he was met by his servants bringing the official with the wonderful news that his son was recovering from illness (v.51). The question of this official father is “what time did my son start recovering?” (v.52). Then the servant answered “Yesterday, about this time” (v.52). And the official father knew that this was the very hour that Jesus told him that his son is getting well (v.53). So, this official father believed (v.50, 53) and walked a day’s journey and when this man got home, he found out that Jesus had kept His Word, This is the second miracle of Jesus in Galilee when he travelled from Judaea.

This is true of us, you and I as believers came to Jesus one day and asked for forgiveness, and Jesus said, “Go you way, your sins are forgiven”. We are totally forgiven of our sins (Hebrews 10:17 “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.”; Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” And we will also walk and now walking the whole way journey going to the Father’s house in heaven, holding forth the basis of that God’s forgiveness and one day we will be welcome to come in and enter heaven, then when we look back we will realized that we were actually forgiven far before we arrived home, our heavenly home, God’s dwelling place. The Helmet of salvation protects us being confident to Jesus’ Words to us.

B. The Lord Jesus confidence in God raise Him from the dead and fulfill all His promises – I Peter 2:21-25

I Peter 2:21-25 “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: ²²Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: ²³Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: ²⁴Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. ²⁵For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.”

This is true of Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ wore this helmet of salvation and according to Daniel 7, His Father had made awesome and wonderful promises to Jesus like a power, authority, a kingdom, a people. God the Father promised His beloved Son eternal glory on His throne. As the Father sent His Son, so Jesus came into the world and obeyed God fully and perfectly, in everything and at all times. Then here comes the crucifixion, the suffering of the cross, Jesus submits for final obedience that is the death on the cross for the redemption of the sins of all men. The Lord Jesus become obedient even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:5-11 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: ⁶Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ⁷But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ⁸And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ⁹Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: ¹⁰That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; ¹¹And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Jesus had to confidently and fully believed that God would fulfilled His Word of promise and raise Jesus from the dead.

Jesus encountered the devil in the wilderness, when Jesus was on his early ministry in this earth, Satan strategies of temptation attacks the Lord Jesus, and offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth without the cross but Jesus believed His Father and resisted the Devil, by using the sword of the Spirit, the written Words of God.

Jesus on His last night of His life, before the crucifixion, the Lord Jesus asked His Father to deliver Him from the cross. Jesus loves mankind, but His humanity dreaded the pain and sorrow He faced, and it drove Him to ask His Father, “Let this cup pass from me.” and God said no. That is why Jesus put His hope and expectation in the promise of God and went humbly, willingly, joyfully to the Cross. Jesus wore this helmet of salvation. And as the Bible tells us, on the third day, God kept His Word and raised Jesus from the dead. That confidence of Jesus shows us that there is a protection of God against going far away from the will of God if we trust fully His Word.

Ending Challenge: This promise of God to raise up His Son Jesus from the dead is the same promise God has made to us believers of Christ. Paul said in I Corinthians 6:14 “And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.”

Jesus Christ evidently wore this amazing, wonderful and powerful helmet of salvation and become obedient to the death of the cross and His resurrection validates the powerful protection of this helmet He wore.

Now, Jesus hands the very same helmet he wore to you. Jesus hands to you the same battle tested helmet under the most extreme circumstances that Jesus had experienced and the Lord Jesus says to you “wear my helmet”. Brethren, let us wear Jesus’ helmet because it will saves us from the wrath of God to come and it will also protects us from the wrath of Satan when he comes to attack you in battle anytime, anywhere. Always wear the helmet of salvation.