25-0518p Transcript

Preacher: Mike Mathis

(1:16) This is the second part of the lesson I began this morning, entitled, The Helmet of Salvation.

(1:26) Now you may be wondering, like Joe, he was waiting for me to get to the helmet this morning, (1:36) but I will get to the helmet tonight and talk about it more in detail. (1:45) What we learned this morning was that the Philistines had gathered together their army against the army of the Israelites, (2:05) and they had their champion, who is a giant, his name is Goliath. (2:14) And Goliath is defying them.

(2:21) He sends a challenge to Israel to send a man, a champion, to them. (2:32) And he says that, if that man kills me, then the Philistines will be our servants. (2:46) Then he said, if I kill that man and defeat him, then you will become our servants.

(3:02) As we saw, David comes along and he hears Goliath’s challenge. (3:11) And he also hears discussion among the army of Israel of what would happen to the man that would kill Goliath. (3:27) But nobody is daring to go out and face Goliath.

(3:36) But now, as David hears the discussion between the men and hears the challenge of Goliath, (3:50) his ears perk up, if you will, and he questions them. (4:00) He asks them about what would be done for the man that kills him. (4:09) Now David is the youngest son of Jesse, of Bethlehem, Judah.

(4:21) And he is sent there by his father to take food and to check on the welfare of his brothers (4:35) and to, in turn, report back to his father how they are doing. (4:47) Anyway, David is very much interested in what would happen. (4:56) And he calls Goliath this uncircumcised Philistine.

(5:09) He says, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? (5:23) And people answer him, you know, so shall it be done for the man who kills him. (5:33) We also learn that his oldest brother rebukes him. (5:40) We learn that he is David’s fleshly brother.

(5:49) He rebukes him asking, you know, who did you leave those two sheep with? (5:57) Which is an implication of questioning the reliability of the man that David left the sheep in care of. (6:11) But David has a question for his brother. (6:19) Is there not a cause? (6:23) David is realizing that there has to be a cause.

(6:29) And he is very much interested in believing that something can be done to this giant. (6:40) All along, David is believing and trusting in God. (6:46) He knows that this Goliath can be overthrown.

(6:54) Well, war comes to Saul and the king sins for David. (7:06) And David is brought to Saul. (7:10) And David says to Saul, I will go out and fight with the giant.

(7:21) What Saul then says to David is, you are not able to stand against this Philistine. (7:30) You’re just a youth. (7:32) And this man, he is well equipped in his army.

(7:41) And he knows, you know, how to fight. (7:50) And then David responded, when I kept my father’s sheep, (8:03) when a bear or a lion took a lamb from the flock, (8:09) he said, I went after it and killed the predator (8:17) and delivered the lamb from the mouth of the predator. (8:24) By now, David isn’t boasting when he says that I went after the predator, killed the predator, (8:38) and this is a lion or a bear.

(8:43) And these two animals, for me, I don’t want to meet up with personally. (8:50) But David goes after them. (8:55) But here is something that David does.

(9:01) He says, the Lord who delivered me from the mouth of the bear or lion, (9:15) he will deliver from this Philistine. (9:20) Here is David’s faith. (9:25) Saul offers David his armor.

(9:31) David puts on the armor, but he cannot move. (9:37) Therefore, he has not tested the armor. (9:42) And so David couldn’t move in the armor of Saul.

(9:53) So David puts the armor aside, and he leaves without any physical armor. (10:07) And he went out with no armor. (10:14) That is physical armor.

(10:18) But he did go out with armor. (10:25) That is the armor of God. (10:29) And here I’m going to show a portion of what was given by the flock (10:48) that God had done through the flock.

(10:55) The doctor gave kind of a short sermon on the ailment of salvation. (11:10) It says, To his human eye, David appeared vulnerable, (11:16) stepping onto the battlefield without armor or his sword. (11:22) But in the spiritual realm, he was fully equipped with the armor of God.

(11:31) The helmet of salvation guarded his mind, (11:36) filling him with the certainty that God would deliver him, (11:41) just as he had in the past. (11:45) David’s faith was not blind. (11:48) It was built on a history of God’s faithfulness.

(11:55) When God mocked him, saying, (11:59) Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks? (12:07) That David responded with a bold proclamation, (12:12) You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin. (12:19) But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, (12:25) the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. (12:32) You know, this is something of importance.

(12:37) There’s a physical nature to this battle, (12:41) but there’s also a spiritual nature to this. (12:46) God is alive here, relying on his gods, (12:54) that is, of the Philistines. (12:58) Relying on them.

(13:02) Defying God and the armies of Israel. (13:07) And since Israel is God’s chosen people, (13:16) he’s defying God. (13:22) He is belittling the living God.

(13:31) But he’s going to find out that God is much bigger than he is. (13:41) He’s going to find out, and the Philistines are going to find out, (13:45) that the God of Israel is even bigger than the whole army of the Philistines. (14:00) With a single stone from his sling, David struck alive in the forehead, (14:08) failing the giant and securing a decisive victory for Israel.

(14:15) Now, in the scripture that I read, (14:21) I read this, and I had to read it again very carefully. (14:29) But when David, he put five stones in his pouch, (14:39) but he only needed one. (14:42) The first one.

(14:44) He put that in his sling, and he slung it, (14:50) and the stone struck the Philistine in the forehead, (14:59) so that the stone sank into his forehead, (15:03) and he fell on his face to the earth. (15:06) And then the next sentence said, (15:11) so David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, (15:18) and struck the Philistine and killed him. (15:22) Killed him with that stone.

(15:26) Now, here is where I’m going to talk and apply the helmet. (15:35) Now, in Ephesians 6, we have in Ephesians 6, (15:43) that Paul is telling the Ephesians to put on the whole armor of God. (15:55) And he lists parts of the armor that is usually worn (16:07) when the army goes out against the enemy.

(16:20) And he said in verse 13, (16:26) Thy Lord take up the whole armor of God, (16:30) that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, (16:34) having done all, and having done all to stand. (16:42) Stand by having girded your waist with truth. (16:49) Truth is acting as the belt or the sash that goes around (16:59) and tightens the waist.

(17:03) And having put on the breastplate of righteousness. (17:10) Righteousness acts as breastplate does. (17:16) The person protects the breast.

(17:24) Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. (17:33) Notice that the gospel of peace is as if the preparation of the gospel of peace (17:41) is having the feet shod. (17:48) Above all, taking the shield of faith, (17:55) with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

(18:02) And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, (18:09) which is the word of God. (18:11) Now, as each of those pieces are representative of faith and breastplate (18:22) and our feet being shod, (18:28) salvation works as a protection from the mind. (18:40) As the helmet protects the head, (18:46) salvation protects our minds.

(18:51) And this is what is being applied for today. (19:00) The story of David and Goliath speaks to us today (19:05) because we all face giants. (19:09) Challenges that loom large and threaten to overwhelm us.

(19:17) These may be financial struggles, health crises, broken relationships, (19:26) or battles of sin and death. (19:29) The enemy uses these giants to attack our minds, (19:37) whispering lies that we are too weak, too unworthy, or too far gone for God to save. (19:47) But the helmet of salvation is our defense.

(19:55) Shall I say that our salvation is our defense? (20:03) As long as we depend and trust in God, (20:12) we will have protection. (20:16) And that is where the helmet that Goliath wore became popular (20:27) because if that stone hit his forehead, (20:36) he was covered and his face here was uncovered. (20:44) So when David slung that stone, (20:49) it bound to hit his face, or at least one of the stones would.

(20:58) But that first stone, as I said, that he put in that sling, (21:04) and he slung it, it bound his mark. (21:10) Goliath’s forehead. (21:13) You know, the gospel of Christ needs to be flung or slung.

(21:23) Don’t think that I’m tampering with the word of God when I use flung or slung. (21:29) Because the gospel of Christ is supposed to be preached, proclaimed. (21:36) Do you know where that gospel is supposed to go to? (21:44) The minds of the people.

(21:50) We’ve got some people whose minds have just been cluttered with all kinds of things, (21:58) and they really do not know truth from fiction. (22:05) And when you really tell them the truth, when you really tell them what the Bible says, (22:11) it’s just, to them, a surprise. (22:14) Because they just don’t know.

(22:19) It’s bad because they haven’t come across it. (22:25) So wearing the helmet of salvation means daily renewing our minds with God’s truth. (22:36) Romans 12, 2 urges us, (22:40) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.

(22:48) We put on this helmet through prayer, (22:56) meditation on Scripture, (22:59) and fellowship with other believers. (23:03) When doubts arise, we counter them with the promises of God. (23:09) He will never leave us nor forsake us.

(23:14) He works all things for our good, according to Romans 8, 28. (23:21) And the other that is quoted from Hebrews 13, verse 5. (23:30) And nothing can separate us from his love. (23:35) Romans 8, 38 and 39.

(23:40) Like David, we may face opposition. (23:44) Even from those close to us, and I’ve touched on this this morning. (23:52) You know, it is enough that we’ve got to face people like Goliath and the Philistines as enemies.

(24:04) We’ve got those on the outside that we’ve got to battle. (24:09) Our minds are so rattled, and trying to teach them is hard to get them to understand. (24:20) But we too must learn how to deliver.

(24:27) And when there are those who are making an effort to go and to teach others, (24:35) they are criticized by those that seemingly think that what they’re doing doesn’t work. (24:50) Well, we’ve tried that, and it just doesn’t work. (24:58) But they’ve tried, and it works for them.

(25:03) Why doesn’t it work for them? (25:06) Why won’t it work for them? (25:08) Have they tried the same thing that the faithful brethren tried? (25:20) And then we face opposition. (25:24) Friends or family may question our faith or discourage us from stepping up in obedience to God. (25:33) The helmet of salvation helps us stand firm, keeping our eyes fixed on Christ rather than human approval.

(25:49) And like David, we don’t need the world’s armor, its strategies, philosophies, or solutions. (26:01) God’s armor is sufficient. (26:06) That’s why we need it on.

(26:10) In conclusion, then, we need to stand strong. (26:19) Ephesians 6, 10 through 17 calls us to put on the full armor of God, (26:29) including the helmet of salvation, to stand against the schemes of the devil. (26:41) David’s victory over Goliath shows us what it looks like to wear this helmet in action.

(26:52) He didn’t rely on Saul’s armor or his own strength. (27:01) Imagine, and this is what really upset Goliath. (27:06) Am I a dog? (27:09) You know, can you see it? (27:11) Here comes the youth.

(27:14) I mean, and he’s not even in armor. (27:19) You know, he’s not equipped to go out to battle with anybody, much less the giant. (27:27) And to come in contact physically would be a disaster for David as well as anybody.

(27:40) But yet, what helped David was his faith and trust in God. (27:49) As we face our own giants, let us put on the helmet of salvation each day. (27:59) Let it guide our minds with the truth of our salvation, (28:05) giving us courage to confront challenges, (28:10) clarity to discern God’s will, (28:15) and hope that never fades.

(28:18) As Paul writes, (28:39) No giant is too big (28:43) for God. (28:45) No battle too fierce, (28:48) for the Lord of hosts is with us. (28:51) Let us go forth in His strength, (28:55) wearing His armor, (28:57) and live as more than conquerors (28:59) through Christ who loves us, (29:03) according to Romans 8, 37.

(29:08) Now, there’s just one more thing. (29:11) that I’m going to bring up, (29:17) and that is the sword of the Spirit. (29:21) Now, I know David didn’t have a sword.

(29:25) He didn’t have physical armor. (29:33) But he did have the Word of God. (29:38) He told the giants that he came in the name of the Lord.

(29:47) But we need to take the sword of the Spirit. (29:51) We need to learn how to wield that sword, (29:56) this sword of the Spirit. (29:59) And what is wrong today is too many.

(30:05) Don’t read the Word. (30:07) They don’t know it. (30:08) You tell them, (30:09) and they’re surprised that it’s there.

(30:17) And as one man, (30:19) when he was supposed to be a preacher (30:24) in a particular denomination, (30:31) when he was told to obey the gospel, (30:38) I never heard that. (30:44) What was he reading? (30:48) He was reading something besides the Bible, (30:52) and he wasn’t reading the Bible (30:54) and coming to where it will say, (31:01) obey the gospel. (31:02) And especially in 2 Thessalonians 1, (31:07) verses 7 through 9, (31:10) where it says, (31:11) God will take vengeance upon those (31:13) who know not God (31:15) and obey not the gospel of Jesus Christ.

(31:21) You know, this is what we can face. (31:26) But you know, we can be encouraged, (31:29) just like this says, (31:30) that we need to protect our minds (31:34) from these people (31:39) by having a knowledge of what God’s Word says. (31:45) And then we can stand against these evil things (31:52) because we’re not wrestling with flesh and blood.

(31:59) David wasn’t wrestling with flesh and blood, (32:03) even though it seems as if he was mismatched (32:09) or when it comes to the outcome of the battle, (32:16) David was victorious. (32:19) He was victorious because of his trust in God (32:23) and his faith. (32:27) And so we can.

(32:30) Yes, we can put the helmet of salvation on, (32:37) and that is what will keep us from falling. (32:43) We can have faith, (32:45) says that faith is able to shield us (32:53) from the fiery darts of the evil one. (32:59) And so it comes from the Word of God, (33:04) which the gospel of Jesus Christ comes from.

(33:10) And the invitation is that we need to obey the gospel. (33:19) And there’s only one gospel that we obey, (33:23) and that’s the gospel of Jesus Christ. (33:27) And it should be good news to the person (33:30) that is outside of Christ, (33:34) that he can obtain salvation through faith (33:39) and by being baptized into Christ (33:44) and to live evermore with Christ (33:51) and live unto death.

(33:54) And then for those of us, (33:57) it should be good news (34:00) that as we walk in the light, (34:03) as is in the light, (34:05) we have fellowship one with another (34:09) and with God (34:10) and the blood of Christ does what? (34:15) Cleanses us from all sin. (34:20) You know, we got those that would deny that we sin, (34:28) but if we do, well, (34:32) but we need to walk in the light. (34:36) But that ought to be good news, (34:38) that Christ’s blood, (34:40) as it washed our past sins away, (34:44) it cleanses us daily (34:47) and it cleanses us from all sin.

(34:52) We need to do what we did before (34:55) and that’s repent of it. (34:58) But let us then take on the helm of salvation, (35:04) for therein is our victory. (35:08) We become victorious.

(35:15) So as anybody that is subject to the gospel invitation in any way, (35:20) we urge you to come forth while we stand and while we sing.