Protect Your Head

Good morning!  Today’s topic and communion seem perfectly suited to one another.  Our title “Protect Your Head” is based on the first part of Ephesians 6:17 which says,

Take the helmet of salvation … —Ephesians 6:17a

I have to say that this must be the shortest passage of Scripture on which I’ve ever given a message.  At just five words, I think I can get through this one in about 45 minutes ;-).

Our message today is part of a larger series of messages titled The War.  Whether we realize it or not, we are in a battle.  The battle is not a battle against people, but it is a battle against evil spiritual forces.  Throughout the New Testament, the metaphor of armor, weapons and warfare is used to describe what is going on.  One of those is Romans 13:12 which says,

The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. –Romans 13:12

We can see from this verse the implication that we are living in a time of darkness.  Just a few minutes looking at the news should convince you of this.  However, there is hope of a bright time to come.  In the meantime though, we should leave off on doing deeds of darkness in anticipation of the hope we have within us of a bright future.  We are instructed to put on the armor of light.  So, that is what we have been doing these last weeks.  We’ve been discussing what it means to put on the full armor of God and to be strong in His mighty power.  So let’s go to Him in prayer and ask Him to show us how to do just that …

Lord God, I do pray that these Your saints would be equipped for the spiritual battles that they face each day.  I pray that each of us would know how to put on Your armor and keep it on.  I pray too that each of us would be strong in Your strength and not try to simply be strong on our own.  Speak to us now from Your Word, we pray in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Let’s dive right in and look at the first part of Ephesians 6:17 there.  It turns out that the first word has significance which shouldn’t be overlooked.  The Greek word translated as “take” is a different word than the word translated as “put on” in Ephesians 6:13 and “take up” in Ephesians 6:16.  In those verses, the idea is to take up something or put on something as if to do something with it.  “Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”  “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

In this instance here in verse 17, there is a different feeling.  The Greek word for “take” here is found in the New Testament 59 times.  54 times, it is translated receive or accept.  Only five times is it translated as take or take up.  This helmet of salvation is something we receive.  We accept the helmet, and we have it always.

The word helmet is a general word meaning something that goes around your head.  It doesn’t describe a specific kind of helmet as the word for “shield” in verse 16 described a particular type of shield.

Why does Paul use a particular word for one piece of armor and not the other?  One reason may be because the word for helmet here is the same word as used in Isaiah 59:17 in the original Greek translation of the Old Testament (which is called the Septuagint).

He [the Lord] put on righteousness as His breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped Himself in zeal as in a cloak. –Isaiah 59:17

This verse happens because God looked and was displeased that there was no justice.  So this is what He does when He goes out to bring about justice.  He puts on His armor.  I think it’s remarkable to think of the Lord wearing armor.  Since the Lord is an example for us, we too should have the expectation to put on armor, God’s armor.

This helmet is the helmet of salvation.  Salvation is a concept that we all think about.  We just now received the bread and cup as a symbol of Jesus’ sacrifice which brought about our salvation.  The word salvation appears in the Bible more than 100 times.  Maybe a bit surprising, more than half of those are in the Old Testament.

We don’t have time to dig into all the different ways which salvation is portrayed throughout the Bible, but I would recommend it to anyone as an encouraging and perspective-enlarging study.  For example, salvation is often portrayed as being the Lord rather than something the Lord gives us. 

The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. –Exodus 15:2

The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? –Psalm 27:1

It reminds me of this song that we learned from John Bullard during the Sunday school singing time.  It’s called “Happiness is the Lord.”   And so, as happiness is the Lord, salvation too is the Lord.  He is our salvation.

Of course, Scripture gets more specific in the details of salvation.  Romans 1:16 explains that it is the gospel, the good news which is the power of God for salvation.  In Acts 4:10-12, we see that salvation is found in no one else except Jesus Christ alone.  There is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.  That is the good news.

What does the helmet of salvation do for us and why it is so critical?  Obviously, a physical helmet protects a soldier’s head.  In the midst of battle if a soldier takes a blow to the head, all the other gear, armor, and weapons become useless.

Psalm 73 shows a situation where the psalm-writer Asaph says that his foot had almost slipped, that he almost lost his foothold.  Why?  He started looking at wicked people, evildoers, and he didn’t see them being punished or getting into trouble.  It was the opposite.  The people who were taking advantage of others seemed to be prospering.  Fortunately, Asaph changes his focus at the end of the psalm and proclaims that the Lord is his refuge.  He ends the psalm saying, “It is good to be near God … I will tell of all [His] deeds.”

This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength …” –Isaiah 30:15

… since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. –I Thessalonians 5:8

The helmet of salvation protects us against discouragement, against the desire to give up, giving us hope not only in knowing that we are saved, but that we will be saved. It is the assurance that God has triumphed and will triumph.  A Christian soldier's "thinking process" is protected by his salvation “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” (II Corinthians 5:7)

The outcome of a battle is often more about fear and despair than it is about strength and power.  A great many battles have ended with one side running away.  Some battles have ended before they start when one side ran away before the two sides are actually engaged in fighting.  One of Satan’s most effective weapons against us is discouragement. His goal more than anything is to get us to give up and just quit trying. 

Fear and shame cause us to hang our heads down.  The helmet though enables us to keep our heads up.  “Here is a helmet that whoever wears it need never be put to shame for his holy boasting.” (Gurnall vol. 2, p. 133)  It is not an uncertain hope, but it is a hope that brings with it no shame of disappointment.

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.  –Romans 5:5

When we accepted the helmet of salvation, it’s hard to stay discouraged. In the middle of the battle or the long journey ahead of us, it is our salvation that makes it all worthwhile.  Let’s look at one more example.  This time, let’s consider someone who has their helmet on …

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.  He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.  He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.  –Hebrews 11:24-26

The surpassing greatness of our salvation causes any disgrace we might suffer for the sake of Christ to be greater than any other worldly good that might happen.  Stop and think about that for a minute.  The most difficult trial or the deepest disappointment which could happen to us in service to Christ is of greater value than all the treasures in this world.

Do we think like that?  If I am honest, I have to say, “No, I don’t think like that most of the time.”  By God’s grace I do sometimes, but certainly not most of the time.

Let us take the helmet of salvation from the Lord and wear it in confidence that we can face our trials and difficulties with a far greater future hope than anything we can imagine.  Our hope in Him will never disappoint.  Let’s pray.

Lord God, refocus our hearts and minds on our eternal salvation in Jesus.  Help us to live like Moses lived and willingly turn away from satisfying our physical appetites.  Help us to live out a greater calling which transforms lives from the darkness of this world into Your marvelous light.  We ask this in Jesus’ precious and powerful Name.  Amen.