25-0518a Transcript

Preacher: Mike Mathis

(0:52) Good morning. Good to see those who are here at the building and those who are on the phone listening, (1:04) those that cannot be with us. (1:08) The lesson I am going to present this morning, the helmet of salvation.

(1:18) And in this chapter that begins in verse 11, particularly, (1:30) God tells the Ephesian brethren to put on the whole armor of God (1:38) that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (1:47) And in Ephesians 6-17, it says, (1:53) Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. (2:06) I want to concentrate particularly about the helmet.

(2:13) In this particular context, salvation is to work as a helmet does. (2:33) The helmet is for protection of the head. (2:40) And years back, there was a law that was issued for motorcyclists to use helmets while riding motorcycles.

(2:58) And of course, as you know, protests. (3:02) I suppose because the law is saying when you’re on the motorcycle to wear it, to wear the helmet. (3:17) They want to make that decision on their own.

(3:22) And most likely, every time they would get on a motorcycle, they wouldn’t have the helmet on. (3:32) And then if they were in an accident, the head would be the most vulnerable part of the body. (3:45) They didn’t realize that.

(3:49) But even children are required to use helmets on bicycles. (3:56) Even see them, the children, wearing helmets while riding on horses. (4:03) Because they could fall off the horses.

(4:08) And having the helmet on their head could protect their heads. (4:17) Now, in order for me to convey what I want to convey, let’s turn our attention to 1 Samuel 17. (4:31) 1 Samuel 17.

(4:41) Beginning in verse 1, we have the children of Israel fighting against the Philistines. (5:03) And as I said, now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle and were gathered at Soko. (5:15) I would say that, I don’t know if I’m pronouncing that right or not, which belongs to Judah.

(5:23) They encamped between Soko and Ezekiel in Ephesus, Daman. (5:34) And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together and they encamped in the valley of Elah (5:43) and grew up in battle against the Philistines. (5:50) The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side with a valley between them.

(6:03) And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines named Goliath from Gath, whose height was six cubits in span. (6:20) That means in our way of speaking, nine feet tall. (6:32) Can you imagine someone being nine feet tall today? (6:43) Well, Goliath was nine feet tall.

(6:49) He had a bronze helmet on his head and he was armed with a coat of mail. (6:57) And the weight of the coat was 5,000 shekels of bronze. (7:03) And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders.

(7:10) Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s bead and his iron spearhead weighed 600 shekels. (7:24) And a shield bearer went before him. (7:33) Notice this man was standing and he sent the challenge to Israel to battle him.

(7:51) Come out and to send that man out to fight him. (8:00) But he had the shield bearer that went before him. (8:09) Now whatever good that would do him, his shield bearer was there.

(8:18) And I’m reminded, I know I have spoken of Johnny Robertson’s videos on YouTube. (8:32) Johnny Robertson has been, he has spent 24 years trying to get one man to debate him. (8:49) This man believes in one person in the Godhead.

(8:58) This man, teacher, is spoken as an apostle of Jesus Christ. (9:09) Not only that, but as the chief apostle. (9:17) And there have been others that have used chief apostle.

(9:24) But imagine this, Johnny Robertson has spent 24 years trying to get this man to meet him in debate. (9:41) There was an occasion that this man, and his name is Geno Jennings. (9:52) He was coming to there in Virginia, Martinsburg I believe is the name of it, where Johnny Robertson is working.

(10:11) And he was issuing the challenge that if Geno Jennings wanted to debate him. (10:28) Well once Geno Jennings did debate someone from the Church of Christ. (10:34) But it seems like there were these protectors, shield bearers if you please.

(10:47) There was an occasion where Johnny Robertson tried to speak directly to Geno Jennings. (10:58) But there would be always somebody else speaking. (11:06) Geno Jennings would be there, but Geno would be behind him.

(11:11) You couldn’t see him in that one video, but he was behind this person. (11:20) But there was an occasion recently where Geno Jennings was in, I forget the town. (11:36) I don’t know Virginia, that might not be correct.

(11:41) But nonetheless, Johnny Robertson took his trip to where Geno Jennings was. (11:56) Johnny was able to get in and to go in his office and be face to face with Geno Jennings. (12:11) In order to get and to come up with a debate between Johnny and Geno.

(12:24) They spoke. (12:27) Now it didn’t show everything that Johnny said to Geno. (12:33) But what was said, Geno knew that Johnny Robertson was serious.

(12:46) Well there was a video that showed the next day, which was Sunday. (12:56) Geno was speaking at his podium. (13:01) And he said, Johnny was not a crackerjack person.

(13:14) Geno was solid in believing in one person and the Godhead. (13:20) And he strongly believed that. (13:25) And he knew that Johnny Robertson believed in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in the Godhead.

(13:40) And was trying to show people that believed in him. (13:46) Well that debate never materialized. (13:53) And perhaps it never will.

(13:56) But Johnny Robertson had come to have newfound respect for Geno. (14:04) But that debate never came about. (14:10) You see, all the 20 some years that Johnny Robertson was trying to get Geno Jennings to have a debate with him.

(14:27) Even on TV. (14:30) And it would be on his program. (14:34) And people would see that.

(14:39) But here was Goliath. (14:46) Goliath challenged Israel. (14:50) Send me a man.

(14:53) Choose a man. (14:55) Let him come to me. (14:58) If he kills me, we will be your servants.

(15:07) But if I kill him, you will be my servants. (15:16) Of course, Israel is not making a move. (15:26) And I don’t blame Israel because here is this nine foot tall man.

(15:36) That’s in armor. (15:39) And to go out and to meet him in battle. (15:46) Physically, it would be challenging indeed.

(15:51) No one there that was willing to go out and to meet him. (16:03) Then we have David. (16:09) David is the youngest son of a man named Jesse.

(16:16) Who is an emperor of Bethlehem, Judah. (16:22) Whose name was Jesse. (16:26) And who had eight sons.

(16:30) And the man was old, advanced in years, in the days of Saul. (16:38) Now, Jesse’s three oldest sons were there in the army of Israel. (16:51) And Jesse then said to his son David in chapter 17 of 1 Samuel.

(17:08) Then Jesse said to his son David. (17:13) Take now for your brothers an ephah of dry grain and these ten loaves and run to your brothers at the town. (17:24) And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousands.

(17:31) And see how your brothers fare and bring back news of them. (17:41) David is a shepherd. (17:46) He kept his father’s sheep.

(17:51) And so he then sent by his father to take food to them. (17:58) To check on their welfare. (18:02) And to bring back news of how they were doing to his father.

(18:19) Now, David comes to the camp. (18:24) David arose early in the morning, left the sheep with the keeper. (18:34) And took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him.

(18:39) And he came to the camp as the army was going out to fight and shouting for the battle. (18:52) For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle already, army against army. (19:00) David left his supplies in the hands of the supply keeper.

(19:07) Ran to the army and came and greeted his brothers. (19:17) He greets his brothers and he hears the challenge that Goliath makes to Israel. (19:35) And then he hears the talk of what should be done to the man that could go out and fight the giant and kill the giant.

(19:51) This raises David’s attention. (19:58) He questions these men. (20:02) He asks them questions.

(20:06) And he receives their answer. (20:09) And it is the same as they’ve been saying. (20:16) And there is David speaking to the man.

(20:25) What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? (20:34) For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? (20:46) Now he gets a rebuke from his oldest brother, Elias. (20:54) Whose anger is roused against David. (20:58) Elias thinks David knows in his business that it shouldn’t be his apart.

(21:13) He’s asking David, why did you come down here? (21:25) And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? (21:30) In other words, who did you leave the sheep with? (21:35) And the person that you left those sheep with, do you have confidence that that keeper will watch after those sheep? (21:54) He said, I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle. (22:03) Now that’s what, this is David’s Philistine brother. (22:14) We have spiritual brethren in the church that will do the same to those that will stand up and face what seems like a giant.

(22:34) The denominational teachers. (22:40) We too have our giants. (22:47) One of those giants that we face is those people that we have to face in the denominational world.

(22:59) That they really choose, and prove by statements that they make, that they really don’t believe in God. (23:11) They really don’t believe what God says. (23:15) Oh they say they do.

(23:19) They’ll tell you the faith in God is necessary. (23:24) But, you know, they’re messing with things that we have no business messing with. (23:37) Just as Johnny Robertson with Jeno Jennings.

(23:44) He didn’t. (23:45) Why do you try to have business with him? (23:49) He’s debated others, even atheists. (23:53) But he is working to spread the word there.

(24:04) And I guess the way that he does things, even from brethren in the church, he has received ridicule. (24:16) Some do not want to speak to him. (24:20) And that’s what we get.

(24:23) It’s not enough that we have to fight those that are outside the church, the body of Christ. (24:35) But we have to face ridicule and things with brethren in the church. (24:44) And what we try to do is like, don’t rock the boat with these people.

(24:54) Don’t. (24:56) But they don’t stop to realize that rocking the boat is from those that are outside the body of Christ. (25:12) And so David is facing ridicule and rebuke from his oldest brother.

(25:22) But let’s listen to David’s response to him. (25:32) And David said, what have I done now? (25:38) Is there not a cause? (25:43) Is there not a cause? (25:46) You know, here is this giant that is challenging us. (25:57) There should be something done to him.

(26:02) And yet nothing, nobody is willing to go out and face him. (26:08) David just can’t understand why there’s nobody trying to face him. (26:17) And he turned from him and said the same thing.

(26:26) And these people answered him as the first ones did. (26:37) Now the words which David spoke reached the ears of King Saul. (26:50) And I’m going to, I’m going to stop now because I have the second part of this tonight.

(27:05) And I want the things that will bear out as we go. (27:13) Now, Scott handed me what he got from Grok, a shortened portion of the sermon. (27:29) And then a little bit longer, about three pages, something like that.

(27:39) Of the sermon. (27:43) Presented the outline to Grok and that got the, had the sermon within about 300 words. (27:59) So, but I had this arranged just about the way that I had the earlier one.

(28:08) And incidentally, I had to go, I had to make this outline by memory. (28:19) It may be a little different from the one that I had, but still it’s following that outline. (28:30) And yet we’re going to see more application to us.

(28:38) We’re going to make application to us in dealing with our times. (28:48) We have our times and here David is realizing there can be something done to this Philistine. (29:01) Nobody’s willing to go out and face it.

(29:08) But there’s something David has that they don’t and that’s faith that he can be overcome. (29:19) And we’re going to see tonight how it’s accomplished. (29:27) Then we’re going to do something with this that David does.

(29:37) He believes in God. He relies on God. (29:43) So tonight, so this morning rather, is anybody subject to the gospel invitation in any way? (29:53) We urge you to come forth and make it known what you wish for the church to pray for you (30:05) and to ask God for whatever you want done.

(30:13) You want to come back to him? You want to obey him? (30:19) You want to whatever it is, will you not come forward now while we stand and while we sing?