“Take the helmet of salvation…” (Ephesians 6:17)

The sequencing of the armor of God appears in Ephesians differently than the way I will be presenting it. The reason for the different order is to help us remember the full Armor of God. As we go through these verses, think of yourself putting on the different pieces of the armor starting from your head to toe.

This day, we start with the helmet of salvation.

As I open my day, I pray aloud the putting on of the armor of God as I get dressed.

Here is what I say:

• I put on the helmet of salvation to protect my mind
• I put on the breastplate of righteousness to protect my heart
• I put on the belt of truth to protect my character
• I shod my feet with the preparation of the gospel so that I am ready in season and out to proclaim God’s good news
• I take up the shield of faith to extinguish the fiery arrows of temptation
• I take up the sword of the Spirit, the word of God, to destroy the devils works

Just as we would not go out naked, we should be mindful to put on the full armor of God as we start our days so that we can stand firm in God’s power and strength.

The helmet of salvation.

Put on the helmet of salvation to protect your mind and thoughts. The beginning and the foundation of everything we do is on the firm foundation of God’s promise of salvation for those who receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. Once God saves us, our very being and standing before God is changed. We move from sinners to saints. From enemies to children and heirs of God’s kingdom.

From the moment God changes us, no one can undo what God has done. We can rebel. We can disobey. We can be bad children. But we will never cease being God’s children. And should we choose to live in rebellion and disobedience, it would be a crying shame because we would miss out on so much of what God wants to do in and through us. We lose out in our rebellion and disobedience. What’s at stake is our partnership and share in God’s mission and purposes. What’s not at stake is our standing before God as his children.

This is the starting ground for our faith. This is the foundation. This protects our thoughts and minds from the enemy’s schemes and methods to have us doubt our standing and position before God.

Know that you are a child of God. Jesus has finished it. Put on the helmet of salvation. Everything you do is a child of God. So, “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Do it. Put it on. Put on your helmet of salvation.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:10-12).

In the next few days we will be looking at the Armor of God.

Paul writes about the armor of God at the end of his letter to the Ephesians. Ephesians is referred to as the “blue print” for the church. As the church was just getting started, Paul wrote this letter to express God’s plan for the church. This letter most completely describes the purpose and the function of the church. In closing his letter to the Ephesians, Paul leaves with them the key to “be strong in the Lord and his mighty power” (v.10).

Strong in the Lord and his mighty power? Yes. Absolutely interested. Sign me up for that.

How can we live “strong in the Lord and his mighty power?”

Paul tells us. “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

• “PUT on the full armor of God”
  • Note that the armor doesn’t put itself on. You have to do it. You have to take action. This is intentional. This doesn’t just happen
  • God gives us the armor, but you must put it on
• “So that you can take your STAND against the devil’s schemes”
  • The purpose of putting on the armor of God is to stand against the devil’s schemes
  • Stand firm. You will notice this word used four times in the next four verses:
    • “Take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (6:11)
    • “So that…you may be able to stand your ground” (6:13)
    • “And after you have done everything to stand” (6:13b)
    • “Stand firm then…”(6:14)
  • This is our job. This is what Christians do. This is our calling. We do not cower. We do not retreat. We stand our ground against the devil and his schemes
• “So that you can take your stand against the devil’s SCHEMES“
  • The Greek word for schemes is methodia. This is where we get the word “methods”
  • We are called to stand against the schemes, the plans, and the methods of the devil
  • What are the devil’s schemes and methods? Lies. From the Garden of Eden, the devil has been twisting God’s words and truths. The devil is the father of lies
  • The best protection against the devil’s lies is God’s truths found in scripture
• “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”
  • Our battle is a spiritual battle. The battle against the rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms can take on physical manifestations, but the source and the core of the battle is one of spiritual nature
  • To win this battle, you have to go to the root of the problem. The enemy is the devil and his lies

“Be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can stand against the devil’s schemes.”

We will be doing that in the coming days as we study together how we can put on the full armor of God.

“But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?'” (Genesis 3:9).

The first words God utters after the fall of Adam and Even are, “Where are you?”

“Where are you?” is an English translation of one Hebrew word, ayyekkah.

Ayyekka – where are you? – expresses the heart of the gospel story between God and us. All of the heart of God for us in the Old and the New Testaments is expressed in this one Hebrew word – Where are you?

Ayyekka – Where are you? What this question reveals about God’s heart toward sinners:

• God seeks out sinners
  • Sin causes us to hide from God and his presence
  • Sin causes shame and estrangement
  • God searches for sinners
  • While Adam and Eve go into hiding, God comes to seek them out
• God invites sinners to repent
  • Repentance leads to restoration
  • To have restoration the violation must be acknowledged by both the guilty and the one who forgives
  • Both the one who violated the relationship and the one who forgives must mutually acknowledge that a violation has occurred and that the guilty acknowledges the violation and the one violated forgives that violation
  • To merely say “Sorry” and move on cheapens forgiveness and cheapens the cost of the hurt of the party who was wronged
• God desires the restoration of sinners
  • God seeks sinners, not to destroy and punish, but to restore sinners
  • Acknowledgment of guilt and sin is for the purpose of forgiveness and restoration, never for the purpose of punishment and shaming
• God provides his redemption
  • God arrives on the scene with a plan for salvation and restoration
  • God provides Adam and Eve with garments of skin
  • God provides us with his Son, the Savior of the world

Where are you? God loves you. God wants what is best for you. God knows what is best for you.

Whatever you are facing today, you are not alone. God is with you. God is seeking you out. You are never alone for God is God Emmanuel, God with us.