7. Armor of God: Helmet of Salvation

Reformed Rookie

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

8. The Armor of God: The Sword of the Spirit

00:14

Okay, as you can see we are on the lesson the helmet of salvation and Who wants to tell me where we can find the scriptures about the armor of God?

00:25

Ephesians chapter 6 all right We're gonna read 10 to 12 a 10 to 15 and then 15 to 20 very good

00:34

Finally be strong in the Lord in the strength of his might put on the full armor of God So that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil for our struggle is not against flesh and blood

00:43

But against the rulers against the powers against the world forces of this darkness Against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places therefore take up the full armor of God so that you will be able to resist in the evil day and Having done everything to stand firm

00:58

Stand firm therefore having girder your loins with the truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness

01:04

And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace In addition to all 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

01:19

Which is the Word of God? with all prayer and petition prayed all times in the spirit and with this in view beyond the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints and Pray on my behalf that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth to make known with boldness

01:34

The mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak all right

01:42

That's the culmination of putting on the the armor so again We're just going to do a quick review the belt of truth offensive or defensive weapon

01:53

Defensive right the truth of the cross your sins are paid for covering your sin and shame your sins have been paid in full breastplate of righteousness offensive or defensive

02:04

Defensive you've received the righteousness of Christ and are in right relationship with God because of Jesus His perfect righteousness is given to you as a gift so that you could stand before God without Owing God anything your his his perfect life becomes your perfect like shoes of peace

02:25

Defensive Defensive you've been able to stand fight and carry the message of hope that will change the world

02:32

Just do it right the hope that has changed you Faith and trust in Jesus Christ is the same message

02:39

That's going to affect the people that you bring it to right where to bring the gospel to every creature under heaven and earth shield the faith offensive or defensive

02:49

Defensive all right faith connects you to the power and promises of God to quell your doubts and fears

02:55

God is your shield remember if we don't have faith in faith itself faith is not a force

03:01

We have faith in it's the object of our faith that matters and our faith is in God Who makes the promises and has the power to carry them out?

03:09

That's where our confidence comes from okay? helmet of salvation offensive or defensive

03:17

Defensive all right so The helmet of salvation is basically the shield of faith for your head right so when the enemy tries to attack you with lies and Deception you put on the helmet of salvation that goes back and recognizes the belt of truth your shame has been covered

03:35

Your sins are paid for you don't when the devil says oh, you're not good enough You say have the breastplate of righteousness.

03:41

I have the Christ righteousness. Oh That's not going to matter to anyone well that message of hope matters to me, and it matters to the rest of the world

03:50

And he's just going to throw darts of doubt at you And that's when you hold up the shield of faith, and you trust in the power and the promises of God All right your helmet is just a shield for your head to guard you against the lies that the devil throws at you

04:04

We know this as the battlefield of the mind right the devil is going to tell you you're a sinner

04:10

He's going to tell you you're not good enough. He's going to tell you there's no hope for you He's going to try to convince you that God doesn't love you

04:16

And that's what all this armor being put on helps us to remember especially the helmet of salvation

04:22

Okay, the first three are fastened to the body in other words They're not taken on and off easily

04:28

The last three the shield of faith the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit are all things that you can pick up And put down Okay, you want to pick these up and not put them down you want to continue to hold on to them all right?

04:40

Let's get into the lesson the spiritual application of the helmet is obvious the

04:45

Apostle is drawing attention to the head to the mind to the brain the understanding the thinking of the Christian We have already dealt with the feelings and the sensibilities the emotions and the desires and have seen how the enemy tends to attack us at those various points but now we have to direct our attention to the particular aspect which involves the

05:04

Consideration of the mind and the understanding the intellectual part of our whole position as Christians It was a comedian named

05:12

Ben Stein Ben Stein No not Ben Stein Brad Stein Right and in the beginning of his routine every time you say put a helmet on Like he would bring up these stupid statements that people make he's like put a helmet on in other words

05:26

Yeah, you're the thing the ideas that you have are so dangerous. You're gonna hurt yourself by hitting your head We put the helmet of salvation on because that's that's where the

05:35

Word of God protects our minds once we dwell in it What it means is that the devil succeeds at times in persuading us to become preoccupied with?

05:46

The details of the Christian life that we forget the grand truth covering the whole We lose the forest for the trees.

05:54

We are so concerned about the trees that we miss the forest We're so immersed in the local tactics that we forget the great campaign right we might have

06:04

Minor losses in the skirmish, but we remember we win the war Ultimately the victory belongs to Christ and we're part of the plan we get to participate in the victory

06:14

So if you're in Christ You know that you're going to win that gives you the boldness to take chances to take

06:21

Calculated risks for the sake of the gospel to stand for your king and serve him

06:27

Paul calls the Christians headgear the helmet of salvation an image that like the breastplate of righteousness is again borrowed

06:36

Directly from the description of the divine warrior in Isaiah 59 17 so this is not something

06:42

New that Paul is explaining to us this teaching is found rooted and grounded in in the

06:48

Old Testament specifically the book of Isaiah In fact God's righteousness and his people salvation occurred together frequently in the book of Isaiah They have a cause -and -effect relationship

06:59

God's righteousness his reliable commitment to fulfill all his promises to his people

07:05

Means that he must act to deliver them from their enemies So if anybody is saved if anybody is walking rightly with God It's because God has acted in his righteousness to save them

07:19

This means that he must act to deliver them from their enemies This includes not merely their physical enemies such as the

07:25

Assyrians and the Babylonians But the greatest enemy of all their own sin and the separation from God that sin causes

07:33

So we know in the fall man and God were separated man is not the one who can reconcile the relationship

07:40

The relationship has to be reconciled by God and he gives us the terms Unconditional surrender lay down your arms.

07:48

You are the offending party. Not the offended you need to come to God on his terms What's that surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord stop trusting in yourself.

07:58

You continue to trust in yourself How's that working out for you, right you continue to trust in yourself you're gonna fail

08:04

But when you continue to trust in Christ the armor -bearer the one who's bore the armor for you

08:11

You're guaranteed to win you're guaranteed victory So remember the breastplate protects the heart the helmet protects the mind right, the breastplate is basically protecting you from the emotions that you're you're

08:27

Apt to to move in right the things that you feel on a regular basis and that changes

08:33

The helmet is designed to protect your mind, right? I hide God's law in my heart that I may not sin against him

08:39

You're feeding your mind the Word of God so that you stand in the midst of that evil day so Isaiah 51 the

08:47

Lord declares My righteousness draws near my salvation has gone out and my arms will judge the people's the coastlands

08:55

Hope for me and for my arm They wait lift up your eyes to the heavens and look to the earth beneath For the heavens vanish like smoke the earth will wear out like a garment and they who dwell in it will die in like manner

09:06

But my salvation will be forever My righteousness will never be dismayed

09:12

So whose righteousness do you want to count on your own? or his His righteousness is gonna stand forever.

09:20

His salvation is gonna stand forever. Anybody know what the word salvation is in the Old Testament Yeshua That ring a bell somebody in the

09:32

New Testament Yeshua is Jesus. So my salvation Yeshua Will be forever.

09:39

He's the one who's going to come and save his people from their sins Listen to me you who know righteousness the people in whose heart is my law.

09:49

It's a promise of the New Covenant I will write my law on your heart Fear not the reproach of man nor be dismayed at their revilings

09:59

We do not fear man We fear God Jesus tells us do not fear him who can kill the body

10:05

Fear him who can kill the body and soul and cast you into hell our fear Reverence is to God not man

10:15

For the moth will eat them up like a garment and the worm will eat them like wool But my righteousness will be forever and my salvation to all generations

10:23

This is God's plan of righteousness Not yours you trust in his plan not yours because of God's righteousness

10:35

Israel's ultimate salvation was assured in the midst of the very of the very real trials of the

10:41

Babylonian exile and the resulting doubts About whether the Lord had abandoned them because of their sins

10:46

God's people could be encouraged by the confident. Hope that God's promises would not fail people come and go

10:54

Empires rise and fall even the earth and the heavens themselves will one day wear out like a garment

11:00

Disappearing like the smoke that rises from a smoldering fire, but because the Lord is righteous

11:06

He must and will fulfill everything that he has promised including the deliverance and restoration of his people

11:15

That's God's promise. He is the righteous one. He is the one who's going to come and rescue his people

11:21

It's about God's righteousness Our righteousness is not what causes

11:28

God to love us His righteousness is what makes that happen, right? God's righteousness is a gift to the guilty not a reward for us who are supposedly good

11:40

This firm promise of God provides the basis for their secure hope in the midst of life's trials and difficulties

11:48

That God will save and deliver his people in the end. This is why in first Thessalonians, which pastor

11:54

Chris got right earlier Paul describes this piece of armor more fully as the hope of salvation

12:02

Now I'm not going to ask you now, but in the next slide I'm going to ask you what is the hope of salvation, right? The Christians helmet is his or her sure hope of salvation

12:13

The hope of salvation Well, what is the hope of salvation?

12:19

Give me an answer. This is a this isn't a rhetorical question who wants to Raise their hand shout out somebody anybody

12:30

What is huh? Going to heaven went. Okay, that's that that would be part of it.

12:36

Yeah Okay, so we're called to put on what the helmet of salvation you put on a nice floppy

12:47

Sun hat right you think that's going to help you if somebody's shooting at you You think that's going to help you if somebody's coming at you with a bat?

12:57

How well will that hat protect your head? It might protect you from the Sun Is it going to protect you from somebody who's trying to rob you or beat you?

13:06

No You need that kind of hat Right, you need the helmet.

13:13

You need something firm something. That's not going to move something. That's impenetrable

13:18

Something that's actually going to protect your head not leave it exposed like the Sun hat real hope is a settled conviction a confident

13:29

Expectation about where one will spend eternity like like Tom just said knowing that you're going to heaven

13:35

It's knowing it being confident that your final destination is in the presence of the

13:42

Lord Biblical hope is sufficiently sure that you can give a reason for it

13:47

First Peter 3 15 always be prepared to give a reason for what the hope you have What's the hope that you have that Jesus died on the cross for my sins that I made right with God because of him

13:58

Yet many people can't give a good reason for their vague feeling that they are going to heaven Hope is not wishful thinking

14:06

Mmm, I really hope I'm gonna get there if you really hope you're gonna get there, and you're not sure

14:13

Let me let me make a suggestion to you. You're trusting in yourself Because you don't know if you're good enough.

14:19

Here's what you need to know you're not Here's what you need to know he is Stop trusting in you and start trusting in him eternal life is the free gift of God Salvation is a shield for your head so that you recognize and remember

14:34

God is this is God's righteousness This is God's plan. He's the one who's going to rescue me

14:42

John says I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God That you may know that you have eternal life

14:50

So many people today of various Christian traditions tell you you can't be sure

14:56

You can't know if you're elect you can't know for sure you're going to heaven and all that tells me is

15:03

Somehow some way they think it depends on us on Humanity the moment you start thinking it depends on humanity you're on shaky ground

15:12

Show me one person aside from Jesus that was perfect What's the requirement to heaven?

15:18

perfect righteousness If you're not perfect yourself you have no hope

15:24

I Can tell you now if you're hoping in yourself you're doomed to fail You're not going to get in but if you're hoping in the one who did it for you ah

15:32

That's where the power comes from We must access the storehouse within the human mind in order to bring about biblical change in people's lives

15:44

According to God's Word the mind is not only the battlefield, but also the spoils for the war of enemy

15:51

That's where he's going to try to get you right. What was the promise in? Genesis 315

15:57

I am going to send one who's going to crush the head of the serpent The head in turn wants to crush the head of God's people

16:05

He wants to distort their mind get them to think something different and like we were talking about before When you read the scriptures, and you believe what they say you're thinking

16:14

God's thoughts after him now God's thoughts are perfect no When you think

16:20

God's thoughts after him you're thinking perfectly you're thinking biblically you're thinking godly Those are good thoughts

16:26

The Bible depicts Satan as the father of lies Johnny 44 who completely envelops the minds of those who are alienated from God so those people who don't know

16:36

God their minds are fodder for the enemy a field for him to sow seeds in People like who don't know what a woman is who don't know when life begins

16:47

Who thinks that men can be women and women can be men all that kind of stuff those are all lies from the enemy you?

16:53

Cannot do those things life begins a conception marriage is between a husband and a wife.

16:58

It's only two two genders male and female and seeks to change the minds of those who walk with God us those things like pest

17:07

Chris says every week the world is trying to catechize you and Understand this the way you live your life is a commercial for your worldview

17:16

How you comport yourself as a Christian is a commercial to the people around you telling them what you actually believe?

17:22

So when you compromise they say aha, yeah, I see But if you compromise recognize it and apologize for it.

17:30

So you know what I what I said to you was wrong I apologize let them know that there's forgiveness in Christ Jesus This is why

17:38

Paul holds the life that grasps the good pleasing and perfect will of God one Transformed by the renewing of your mind right you know this verse do not be conformed to this world

17:48

But be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you may discern What is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect?

17:58

When we read God's Word We meditate on it. We study it We memorize it we hide

18:04

God's Word in my in our heart that we might not sin against him That transforms how you think on a daily basis.

18:12

That's why it's imperative that you be in the Word of God every day If you can't be in the

18:18

Word of God every day get an app on your phone and do them at memorization of the verse

18:23

Memorize it pick a verse Memorize it have it drilled into your head do it Memorize one verse a week you'll be astonished at how that changed the way it changes the way you think 2nd

18:35

Corinthians We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey

18:43

Christ Being ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete

18:49

So when you memorize God's Word when you read God's Word and study it you use that to destroy arguments

18:57

Where are arguments found in? The lot are arguments found in the library are they found in the grocery store are they found in the movie theater?

19:06

Where are arguments found? People's minds ideas and arguments exist in people's minds

19:12

Why because they've been lied to by the enemy our minds have been filtered and changed by the

19:18

Word of God So that when somebody tells me oh a man could be a woman. I say no. Here's why

19:23

God said This is what it is We counter their arguments with the

19:28

Word of God we destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God What's our ultimate foundation?

19:36

Where do we start the foundation of God's Word God's Word is truth? Whatever they tell you that's contrary to God's Word is a lie

19:45

They're believing the deception that the enemy has planted in their minds We combat that with the

19:52

Word of God All right, so exposing lies and teaching sound doctrine And rebuking those who contradict it.

19:59

That's one of the tasks of an elder so this morning I want to teach you sound doctrine and rebuke those who contradict it

20:06

Here's how the enemy uses lies and systems to get into your mind You guys all heard of the

20:12

Council of Trent the Council of Trent was an anti Reformation response in other words after the

20:20

Reformation came and people started entrusting in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation and Moving away from the errors of the

20:27

Roman Catholic Church. They didn't want to split the church They wanted to correct the errors well some people stuck their their heels in the ground and didn't want to move so the

20:35

Protestants They protested the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church Rome's response was the

20:41

Council of Trent And here's what they say in Council 9 if anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone

20:47

Meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain the grace of justification And that it is not in any way necessary that he be prepared or disposed by the action of his own will let him be anathema

20:59

The word anathema means eternally cursed, so if you believe If you trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation, you're not trusting in anything that you do

21:10

Rome pronounces you anathema Canon 12 if anyone says that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence which is another word for faith

21:22

Confidence in divine mercy which remits sins for Christ's sake or that it is this confidence alone that justifies

21:30

Justifies us let him be anathema Eternally cursed so the two things that the

21:37

Bible teaches they reject, and they say that we're accursed Being justified as a gift by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus Right we are

21:49

Justified by placing our faith and trust in Jesus as a free gift not something that we earn

21:54

I used the illustration yesterday I was talking to somebody If I came to your house And I was counseling you and I took something out of my bag

22:01

And I gave it to you unwrapped it. It was like a gold Rolex watch you're like wow Anthony That's that's really nice You know and in the awkward because that's such a that's a really expensive gift right in the awkwardness of the moment you stick your

22:12

Hand in your pocket say here take this you got like 20 or 30 dollars How would you make me feel if I was giving that to you as a gift?

22:21

You'd insult me you'd insult me now if I took the money. What would the watch no longer be?

22:28

Wouldn't be a gift Be a great deal on a Rolex, but it wouldn't be a gift a gift is given freely

22:35

It's received freely the moment you have to give something for it you negate the fact that it's a gift

22:43

Eternal life is a gift For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law

22:51

So the works of the law include the Ten Commandments you are not justified by that Now when

22:57

God comes in and changes your heart and writes his law on your heart on your new heart of course You're gonna follow those things, but that's the fruit of salvation not the root of it, right?

23:08

Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness This is even before The New Testament was written.

23:16

This is Genesis 15. This is in the Old Testament the Old Testament Saints were saved by faith why?

23:22

Once you place your faith in the Savior he gives you his perfect righteousness. That's what

23:27

Abraham received That's what in the book of Romans right after this. That's what David received

23:34

But as many as received him to them he gave the right to become children of God Even to those who believe in his name

23:44

All right, so what I want to do is Shane if you could pull up this video

23:50

Just a couple of days ago the Pope was in Singapore and what he did he gave a talk

23:56

Okay, so the the the Pope is in Singapore, and he has a panel of people of various different different faiths and I want to I want you to listen to what the

24:07

Pope tells to the people of Various different faiths what to do all right

24:13

Notice the title together for unity together for unity, that's ballpark.

24:19

It's you in unity Because every religion is a way to arrive at God Sono Dino una comparazione

24:33

Sono come diverse lingua diverse idiomi per arrivare li

24:39

Sort of a comparison an example would be they're sort of like different languages in order to arrive at God Madio a do per tutti, but God is is

24:49

God for all the comedy or a do per tutti No, he's a mo tutti

24:58

Philly did you and if God is God for all then we're all sons and daughters of God But my

25:06

God is more important than your God Is that true?

25:22

There's only one God and each of us is a language so to speak in order to arrive at God There are different paths

25:54

In order to have interreligious dialogue among young people it takes courage

26:03

Does it take courage to tell anyone? Someone else that Jesus is the only way to salvation or is it does it take courage to tell you?

26:10

Anyway, it leads to God all pathways lead to God a pernicious error

26:16

This is why you need to wear the helmet of salvation To start to stop yourself from flowing at well.

26:23

God must love all people all people are children of God No John tells us to those who receive him he gave the right to become children of God We do not all start off as God's children

26:37

Ephesians chapter 2 says we were objects of wrath God's wrath doesn't abide on his children

26:45

You have to you have to put on the helmet to stop yourself from absorbing these things

26:50

Because this can tend to work on your emotions How can I believe that my Muslim neighbor who's really a sincerely good guy in a good name?

27:00

How can he be cast into hell? Because he doesn't have a

27:05

Savior. He rejects the Savior those those There was Muslims there was

27:11

Sikhs there were Hindus there They all heard that their pathway is the path to God.

27:17

Yes, John Yeah, so exactly good good point. This is one of the things I meant to say so all paths lead to God Except the

27:26

Protestants whose faith and trust is in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation We're separated from them.

27:32

They have the truth then this is called Inclusivism where all religions at some point get to God So what

27:40

I like to tell them is listen if you're gonna persist and believing that all roads lead to God This is what I'm gonna tell you.

27:46

I Agree with them. I say all roads do lead to God as Judge only one leads to them as his child and that's through Jesus Christ Right all roads lead to God you will all stand before God to be judged

28:01

But he does not judge his children they've been judged in Jesus Christ already

28:07

That's why the message of salvation is so important That's why we need to put on the helmet of salvation and be able to convey the gospel to the people who believe these lies

28:16

Who the largest supposed Christian denomination in all the world is telling him all roads lead to heaven

28:23

This is a pernicious era now before you get so angry at the Roman Catholic Church Have mercy on the people who believe the lie

28:34

Right we are on a rescue mission You do need courage to share the gospel

28:39

But share it boldly share it confidently because he is the way the truth and the life and no one gets to the father

28:46

But through him So you're standing on you have the gospel of readiness the shoes of the gospel of peace

28:53

Stand on your firm foundation and share the gospel. This is how we bring God's kingdom to earth, okay?

29:02

Let's continue confident assurance Genesis 3 1 through 7 describes the far -reaching and devastating blow to the human mind that would affect every human being who lived thereafter

29:12

Without question Satan waged war against God and the human race in this monumental passage

29:18

Where the battlefield turns out to be Eve's mind in the end Eve exchanged the truth of God for the lie of Satan and the

29:26

Human mind has never been the same since so when at when when Adam taught Eve Okay, don't talk don't eat of the fruit of that tree

29:33

Satan comes to her starts talking to her Did God really say are you really gonna die?

29:39

So what does it Eve do hmm? Let me test this Let me step off what God says Let me stand on what he's the the enemy so she didn't know he's the enemy

29:48

Let me stand on what this angel says let me see how it works out disaster Plunges and Adam standing right there allows it to happen this plunges the whole human race into sin

29:58

So our minds because of Adam's sin our minds are stained polluted by sinfulness

30:05

So we're all born into this world Not as children of God, but as of enemies of God and we need to be reconciled to him

30:12

That's the blow that Satan hit to the human race so Has God said that's the question that the enemy asks, and this is what you need to know this is what he said and I call these the nevers of Scripture, and it was in a

30:30

Message by Steve Lawson listen to this if you're a child of God John 3 16

30:35

You'll never perish if you drank of the waters that he gives you you will never thirst if your trust is in Jesus You'll never be judged.

30:43

You'll never hunger Jesus says if you trust in me, you'll never be cast out John 6 39.

30:49

You'll never be lost John 8 51 and 52 you'll never see death He talks to Martha in in John 10 28.

30:57

You'll never perish if you're part of the resurrection You'll never perish. He says do you believe this that's my question to you.

31:03

Do you believe that? John 11 26 you're never gonna die. You're never going to walk in darkness

31:09

You're never going to be orphaned you're never going to be left alone and not protected that's what the whole book of Ephesians is about and You're never going to be unguarded unguarded in Jesus's high priestly prayer.

31:23

He prays that he would protect all his people Do you believe that or do you believe what all the other religions tell you if you're in Christ all of those things all

31:35

Of those nevers apply to you That's why we can have confidence John 10 27 to 30 my sheep hear my voice.

31:46

I know them and they follow me So if you're a believer, it's because you're hearing the voice of God It's resonating with your spirit and you know, you know that this is true

31:56

I give them eternal life and they will what never perish No one will snatch them out of my hand

32:02

My father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of the father's hand

32:08

I and the father are one now. It's amazing. How many people read this and say well, you can't be snatched out

32:15

But you could walk out. Is that what that's teaching? Okay, my father is greater than all

32:23

But you can walk out that makes you greater than the father just saying

32:30

This is not teaching that you can lose your salvation This is teaching you that you are secure in the hand of God if you're not secure in the hand of God Where are you secure your own effort your own performance?

32:43

God forbid? John 10 24 so the Jews gathered around him and said how long will you keep us in suspense if?

32:53

You're the Christ tell us plainly now this verse comes right before this one Jesus answered them

33:00

I told you and you don't believe It's as simple as that I told you on the

33:07

Christ you don't believe it Jesus his sheep hear his voice The works that I do in my father's name bear witness about me, but you do not believe because you're not among my sheep right his sheep

33:21

Hit the people who are not a sheep don't hear his voice the people who are his sheep hear his voice

33:28

My sheep hear my voice When someone's listen listening to what

33:35

Romanists called the vicar of Christ on earth in the in the office of the Pope They're believing what the

33:41

Pope says They're not believing what Christ says you have to go back to the words of God You have to read what

33:49

Jesus says about himself You have to read what the Word of God says about salvation and you trust in what

33:55

God says Not what any man says Put it this way don't trust what I say just go to the

34:02

Word of God and trust that I'm a human being I could Be wrong, but God can't that's our foundation

34:10

That's why there is nothing arrogant about saying that we know for sure. We're going to heaven

34:16

Indeed we would be incredibly prideful to rest our hope in heaven on our own goodness But if our salvation is a free gift that comes to us by simple faith in Christ and his work on our behalf

34:28

Then there is nothing arrogant in claiming such knowledge We're simply taking

34:34

God as at his Word We're simply saying Lord. You said it. I believe it.

34:40

I trust in you Not any man not any system not any organized religion or church.

34:47

I trust in you We can even go further we're able to wear the armor of God with confidence because Jesus wore it first for us

34:56

He was forever faithful to God the Father in Isaiah 59 17 It was the

35:01

Lord himself who donned righteousness as his breastplate and put the helmet of salvation on his head

35:07

He earned it for us This means that Jesus not only lived a spotless life perfect righteousness in our place

35:14

He also hoped perfectly perfectly in our place in other words He had confident expectation

35:20

Jesus knows what it is to endure trials and suffering while keeping his hope in the father's care

35:26

The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus learned obedience Through what he suffered for the joy that was set before him.

35:34

He endured the cross despising it shame why? Was Jesus confident because he was perfectly faithful He knows that his sheep will hear his voice and all that the father gives him will come to him and whoever comes to Him he will never cast out, but raise them up on my on the last day for his will is to do his father's will

35:53

He's perfectly confident that all his sheep will be saved Not one of them is going to be lost

36:00

Jesus came to seek and save the lost and my question to you is does he succeed in that mission or fail? I tried really hard, but I failed no

36:08

Jesus is not a salesman. He's a Savior He's not bidding you to buy into his plan.

36:15

Please pick me I'm the only boy you can get to heaven Jesus says I'm the only way to get to heaven you want to follow me great.

36:23

You don't okay? Go ahead because he's confident that his perfect work is gonna accomplish exactly what

36:29

God the father intended it Jesus's hope has already been vindicated

36:34

Why he's now seated at the right hand of the father and has become the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him

36:41

The head that once was crowned with thorns is now wreathed in eternal glory

36:46

He's seated at the father ruling and reigning until his enemies be made a footstool for his feet

36:52

Because Jesus has worn the armor of God first Accomplishing perfect righteousness through his spotless life and winning our salvation through his atoning death

37:01

We are now able confidently to wear the helmet of the hope of salvation the confident

37:07

Expectation of salvation because God promised it and we can trust his promises Our salvation has already been accomplished for us by Christ all that waits is the future harvest of that salvation

37:20

Okay, remember What is Jesus's active obedience accomplish? Anybody know his active obedience.

37:29

What does that garner for us? What do I mean by active obedience? His life right the way he lived his life.

37:37

He was perfectly obedient So he earned the righteousness we need through perfect obedience to God the

37:44

Father He lived the life that we needed to live but didn't Now what's

37:49

Jesus's passive obedience? Everybody want to venture a guess? Okay He paid our debt through the subsidiary substitutionary death on the cross.

37:59

In other words He allowed Himself to be crucified. He says nobody put me on the cross.

38:06

I Allowed that to happen, right? This is God the Father. This is the plan of salvation He was going to the cross, but he allowed it.

38:12

He could have stopped it, but that was the plan of salvation So his active obedience is what he did his passive obedience is what he received

38:21

He lived the perfect life for us, but died the death we deserve in essence

38:26

That's the gospel when you trust in Jesus. You're saying my life isn't good enough. Praise God His is

38:34

If I pay the price for my sins, I'm going to be turning separated, but thank goodness. He took that penalty

38:40

Does that make sense to everybody? That's really important Protection and boldness

38:46

Helmets provide the soldier with protection against bullets and blows in a similar way the hope of salvation provides a real protection for the

38:54

Christian In times of difficulty or distress it defends the Christian against discouragement and despair

39:00

Why should you be discouraged by your present challenging circumstances when you have such a glorious and secure inheritance awaiting for you

39:08

Right. Sometimes we look out at America. I'm like, oh gosh, this place is going down. This is not good

39:14

You live in America, but you're a citizen of the kingdom right, that's First and foremost that should be preeminent in your mind the citizenship in the kingdom that Jesus is

39:25

Lord in that's the one we're concerned about Think about this suppose tomorrow you receive two letters in one you receive the news that your great auntie

39:32

Frida in Australia This is Ian Dugan, by the way, your great auntie Frida in Australia had died and left you ten million dollars

39:38

While in the same post the next letter you also received a parking ticket that was going to cost you 50 bucks

39:44

Which of the two letters is going to shape your day? The sure and certain hope of ten million dollars or the present depressed depressing reality of the $50 fine

39:55

That's not even gonna be a figment like that's not even gonna be a passing thought big deal. I got a $50 fine

40:01

I'm getting ten million dollars remember What do you think of this statement? Jesus died for your sins and there is now no condemnation in Christ and you are co -heir with Christ What does that mean?

40:14

Do you believe that? Everything that Christ has because you're in communion with him or a marital covenant with him all his

40:24

Assets if you will are yours You're no longer an orphan You're not an orphan.

40:30

You're a child of God to those who received him He gave the right to become children of God. You've been in a dot.

40:35

You've been adopted into the family of God You're seated in the heavenlies. You have every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus Right.

40:44

So when your Pentecostals friends come to you and say hey, have you received the second blessing you say? Yes, I received all of them

40:50

I'm seated in the heavenlies. I received every spiritual blessing in Christ. Not only did I receive the second blessing I received the third the fourth the fifth all of them whatever blessing every one of them

41:00

I have in Christ I'm not waiting for the second blessing. I have all the blessings now Stop acting like you don't

41:09

Okay. What about trials? How does God allow that and we went through this last week for this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of Glory beyond all comparison as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen

41:22

But the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal so many people are killing themselves for the things of this world and Neglecting the invisible things the immaterial things that really matter

41:36

They're killing themselves for the things that are temporary where Jesus killed himself for the things that were permanent he secured eternal salvation eternal union with God a

41:48

Spiritual blessing that will never fade away the things of this world will stop killing yourself for the things of the world

41:57

James 1 2 through 4 count it all joy my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness and the steadfastness has its full effect

42:07

You will be made perfect and complete lacking in nothing Trials have a purpose they're given to you for a purpose

42:15

So if you come for counseling good chance one of the elders is going to bring up one of these verses to you and say hey

42:20

Listen, are you rejoicing in this recognizing that God is for you not against you. This is for your good We don't want to hear that but that's why we need to put on the helmet of salvation

42:31

Remembering the things that God said even with regards to our trials Romans 5 3 not only that but we rejoice in our sufferings.

42:39

Oh, man This is another reason why I never would have picked Christianity, right? I got to rejoice in my suffering.

42:45

Yeah, knowing that suffering produces endurance Endurance produces character and character produces hope which is what?

42:53

Confident expectation and hope confident expectation does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts

43:00

Through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us Paul tells us not to look at the the material things of this world

43:08

Look to the invisible things the endurance and the spiritual blessings that you have through these trials and rejoice in them

43:18

Doubt about your eternal salvation naturally leads on a trajectory that ends in despair

43:23

If you doubt God's desire and ability to save you ultimately Why should you believe in his desire and ability to watch over you in the present storms of life?

43:33

Hope supports you in your deepest afflictions. You recognize that God has a plan and a purpose in the midst of this

43:39

Hope protects you when you're sick and when you're sad you recognize that in the midst of this

43:45

God will sustain you He's gonna work all things together for good and somehow some way he's he's going to work something in my heart

43:54

Preparing me hope sustains you when you're rejected and when you're lonely you think Jesus was lonely at the cross

43:59

Everybody abandoned him his closest friends his disciples abandoned him. He knows loneliness

44:04

So rather than pull away from God when you're lonely pull closer to God when you're lonely and when you pull closer to God What are you gonna do?

44:13

You're gonna fellowship with his people and when you fellowship with his people, you're no longer lonely Hope bears you up when you're depressed and downcast

44:23

You think Jesus before he went to the cross? What'd he say? Lord If there be any other way

44:31

You know, maybe Yet not my will be done And I heard a pastor recently play pray

44:37

Lord, we pray that your will will be done and we pray that we would love your will Sometimes we're praying

44:43

God's will would be done and we're like I still don't I don't like it. I Want God's will to be done because I love

44:49

God's will Hope strengthens you even when you stare face to face at the last enemy death itself death shall not have the final victory

44:59

Jesus conquered death. So if you're facing death Fear not he conquered death you are going to live on the other side

45:07

You realize at some point in time every one of us in this room is going to die Right just a matter of when

45:16

But if your faith and trust is in Jesus, you're gonna see him face to face the one who conquered death You're gonna be resurrected with him on the last day

45:23

This the Christ in whom your hope rests has already triumphed. He has the victory already

45:29

You don't need to earn it you just need to bring a reflection of the victory he had at the cross you are the recipient of of his righteousness and the the payment for your sins

45:42

Act that way your hope of salvation Thus protects you in the deepest darkest valleys of your life by reminding you of God's power and his care for you

45:52

Hope encourages you to hold lightly to the good things of this world as well for these two

45:57

We shall also leave behind one day the highs as well as the lows in life are put in their proper

46:03

Perspective in the light of the all -surpassing glory of our salvation in Jesus Amen, so let me ask you something.

46:12

What is it you think about most? Before you go to bed, what are you thinking about? When you wake up, what are you thinking about when you're carrying on your day going to work or doing homeschooling or whatever?

46:25

It is what are you thinking about most? A .W. Toza says what comes into your mind when you the what the first thing that comes into your mind

46:34

Mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you What are you thinking about most?

46:39

the government the stock market your job your health a relationship a house something of physical nature that's transient

46:54

The key surely lies in remembering and thinking often about the glories of our salvation.

47:00

I often pray Lord May I never get over the wonder and awe of my own salvation?

47:06

I don't deserve this at all But I have it because of Jesus if you've forgotten about the ten million dollar

47:14

Inheritance by the time the parking ticket hits your hope cannot do anything to protect you You have a lot more than ten million dollars in your account you have perfect righteousness

47:24

You're gonna live in the new heavens and the new earth Never worrying about anything never crying all the tears will be removed

47:32

You are gonna be in perfect union with the God who breathed the universe into existence Like you gotta let that settle in But if you spend every moment of the day thinking planning wondering visualizing your new life as a millionaire

47:47

The parking ticket is less likely to throw you into a downward spiral of despair Recognize you're not an orphan.

47:54

You're a child of the one true God Put on the helmet of the hope of your salvation experience the joy and boldness that come from the certainty of your righteousness in Christ and the

48:06

Solid assurance that the one who began a good work in you will bring it to completion on that day

48:13

What is the hope of salvation? Is it this? Are you gonna wear that hat and get knocked to and fro by every lie that the enemy tells you?

48:23

Or are you gonna put on the helmet and protect your mind and remind yourself of the gospel every single day?

48:30

Remind yourself that you have what God's giving you you can rely on the power and the promises of God Jesus secured salvation

48:38

I'm confident that I'm going to heaven. That's not arrogant because I'm not trusting in me. Let him who boasts boast in the

48:44

Lord I simply take God out of this word. I'll leave you with this Colossians 1 10 27 to them

48:52

God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is

48:59

Christ in you the hope the confident expectation of glory if Christ lives in you you are his child.

49:09

You will not be plucked out of his hand Nor will you walk out of his hand you will be redeemed on the last day praise

49:17

God Okay, really quick the righteousness and salvation Okay, both come from God himself

49:24

God through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit The hope of salvation is confident expectation

49:30

It's not wishful thinking we can bank on what God said because he's not a man that he should lie

49:35

He doesn't change his mind We can have confident assurance again because it doesn't depend on me

49:41

It depends on him the full weight of my salvation was bore by Jesus on the cross

49:48

We have protection and boldness Because we rely on the protection and the promises of God the power and the promises of God He's the one who's in control so that even in my suffering even in my trials

50:01

I can rejoice because I know he's got a greater purpose for it and Finally we put on the helmet

50:08

Do not fail to put on the helmet and guard your mind Because of Christ by the by the power of the

50:16

Word of God to hide it in your heart So that you will not sin against him and you will be able to destroy

50:22

Arguments and and everything that sets itself up against the knowledge. Okay?

50:30

Any final questions? Yes, John. We're good.