Since it’s been a couple of weeks I like to have us read Paul’s illustration together so that we can get it fresh again in our minds and then we want to come back to the first part of verse 17 - the Helmet of Salvation - which is the piece of armor we want to focus on this morning.

Let’s read together - out loud - starting at verse 14: Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 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, which is the word of God.

In 17a Paul writes, “Take the Helmet of Salvation.”

To the Roman Soldier the helmet was made of bronze or iron with leather attachments. There was some type of soft inner lining that cushioned the weight of the helmet on the soldier’s head. Many helmets had a hinged visor that came down and covered the face. The really ornate helmets had these decorative plumes sticking out of the top. Have you seen the Fuller Brush effect? Obviously the point of the helmet was to protect the head - the brains - of the soldier.

The Helmet of Salvation protects our minds - to preserve and guide our thinking through all the confusion and spiritual darkness of this world. Let me say that one more time: The Helmet of Salvation protects our minds - to preserve and guide our thinking through all the confusion and spiritual darkness of this world.

As we’re looking at what this protection can mean for us this morning I’d like you to keep one phrase in mind. Here it is: The Mind Needs Changing. Would you say that with me, “The mind needs changing.” If you remember nothing else this morning remember that phrase. Our minds need changing - so that - in the midst of everything going on around us we’re totally focused on God’s salvation - now and through eternity.

I’d like to emphasize that truth. So often we give what is around us way too great an importance. Our minds are focused - not on God - but on what we see around us. That’s understandable. This is solid. Time for us is linear - birth leads to life leads to death. This is what we know. But, our minds need changing if we’re going to stand strong in the strength of our Lord.

Years ago - in another church - in another place - a man came up to me and said something that through the years I’ve heard echoed by others. This man came up and said this: “You pastors are all alike. You live in a spiritual world. But, the world you live in and talk about isn’t the real world that everyone else lives in.” That’s a very valid and helpful observation.

For a few minutes let’s consider the real world that we live in. In 6,000 or so plus years of recorded human history mankind has only known only about 300 years of peace. There have been 14,300 plus wars - large and small - that have killed well over 3 billion people. There have been 1,600 plus arms races - all but 16 have ended in war. The remainder ended in the economic collapse of the countries involved. One report I read recently, estimated that the world is spending $1,000,000.00 per minute on its armies. (1)

Have you heard statistics like this? That’s a lot of numbers and the actual numbers are open to debate and interpretation. But the bottom line is that it ain’t good. Mankind’s track record isn’t very good.

Its important - thinking about the world we live in - its important to consider - after 6,000 plus years of conflict what has been accomplished? Today we have people living in caves using airplanes to kill people living in skyscrapers. And, people living in skyscrapers using airplanes to kill people living in caves.

Think about the home - the warm secure home. Today there are children killing children - children killing parents - parents killing children. Parents are afraid to discipline their children. Parents are afraid that their children won’t come home at night.

We could go on. But, we know this and more. This is the real world that we all live in.

The Apostle Paul gives a description of our society - as accurate today as it was almost 2,000 years ago. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3: “Men [are] lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:2-5,7) Does that sound familiar?

After 6,000 plus years of recorded human history - despite our good intentions - our institutions - our religious beliefs and teachings - all of our wisdom and knowledge and experience and greatest efforts - where have we come to? For all the centuries of human history - leaders of nations - peoples - have cried out, “Why can’t we solve the basic problems of human kind? Why can’t we change human nature? Why is it that each generation seems to struggle - to fight - the battles of the previous generation?”

At some point we must admit - change our minds about what’s real - what is the reality that we need to deal with. The bottom line - Paul tells us is that the mind needs changing.

The spiritual world is the real world. When God deals with what is spiritual - He deals with the reality - the basis of what mankind - what each of us struggles with. As offensive as that may be to our pride as human beings - as simplistic as that may sound to our egos - when we admit that we cannot solve our problems - we begin to put on the helmet of God’s salvation - that protects and guides us in the reality of where we live our lives.

The Apostle Paul was a Hebrew amongst the Hebrews. He could trace his lineage back through the Patriarchs - through Benjamin - to Jacob and Abraham - even to Adam. What that meant to the Jew was inclusion - acceptance into the holy inner ranks of the Hebrew nation. Paul was a conservative theologian - a student and a teacher of God’s word. He lived in strict observance of the requirements of the Law - righteous - blameless. He had gained the favor of the Jewish religious and political community. Paul was even a Roman citizen. Whatever one needed in the “real world” - Paul had it and he was going places. (Philippians 3:4-6)

Paul - zealous for God - with the authority of Jerusalem’s chief priests was headed for Damascus to capture Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem - in chains for trial and death. On the road to Damascus Paul met Jesus - the resurrected Lord and Savior. Paul’s mind was changed. The real world he lived in - had spent his life focused on - built his life around - it no longer mattered. What mattered was salvation - life in Jesus Christ. Paul was focused there and now he has turned 180° and is focused there - on Jesus.

In Romans 8:6 - Paul describes this change of mind. “For the mind set on the flesh - on this reality that we constantly focus our lives on - the mind set on the flesh is death - the absence of real life - but, the mind set on the Spirit - focused on God’s salvation - His life now and forever - the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace” - even in the midst of the reality of this world.

Let’s be careful here and understand what Paul is describing. It would be very easy to assume that when Paul writes about setting our minds on the flesh he’s pointing the finger at people who live in large houses - drive expensive cars - have lot’s of the things of this world. They wear nice clothes. They’re successful in business. People who enjoy dining out - the opera or the symphony.

On the other hand - it would be very easy to assume that having our minds set on the Spirit means going around thinking - lofty - spiritual thoughts - meditating on Scripture - being able to quote whole books of the Bible by heart. People who live some kind of impoverished monastic lifestyle completely out of touch with the basics of life. That was the observation that this man had that had spoken to me years ago in another church about pastors - and by extension - Christians.

That’s not what Paul is saying. The flesh covers the range of the experiences of life. The Spirit covers the range of the experiences of life. The question is how do we view these things - where our mind is focused - our mindset.

I’ve been privileged to visit with a number of believers just before their death - sometimes within hours of their home going. Maybe you’ve experienced this with someone you love. Their bodies may be here on earth but their minds are in heaven. They know where they’re going. They’ve received God’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ and they’re headed for heaven. They know it and they’re ready.

That doesn’t mean that somehow they’re in denial. They feel death coming. The flesh - the reality of this world is very evident in physical pain and suffering. But they understand that this life is a shadow of reality - a vapor - something that passes quickly. The focus isn’t on the death. Its on life in Jesus - God’s strength for life now - God’s promise for life to come.

Paul is saying - in the verses we’ve quoted - Paul says, “I was focused on the things of this world. I was good at them. I thought I understood God and how to live life. But, all that leads to bondage to sin and death. It leads away from God. One day I met Jesus. He saved me. I know His salvation. Even living in this world I live with my mind set on the things of the Spirit.”

People with their mind set on the Spirit can live in nice houses. They can drive nice cars. There’s nothing wrong with that. Someone say amen. But, the point is that all of that - the temporal - the vain - the ultimately useless things of this world are not the focus. Having our minds set on the Spirit means that - in all these blessings - our desire is to help others - to express God’s love - to honor God - to please Him - to live in obedience to Him - to follow His will - to glorify Him - to lead others to life in Jesus. The mind set on the Spirit doesn’t remove us from the reality of life - it puts us into life with the right focus.

Practically - thinking this through for each of us this morning - putting on the Helmet of Salvation - what this means is that each of us has an opportunity to change our minds. Do you remember the phrase? The Mind Needs Changing. Our minds need changing - so that we’re totally focused on God’s salvation - now and through eternity.

Two thoughts of application. First - Each of us has an opportunity to choose what we will believe.

A few years back some Mormon missionaries came to the door. Karen and I were in a place in our lives where we had time to talk with them. So, we met with them for two study sessions. They presented their beliefs from the Book of Mormon - the Pearl of Great Price - the Bible (correctly translated by Mormon Church) - and other Mormon scriptures.

They shared. We listened. We asked questions. We tried to lovingly point out the obvious conflicts between Mormonism and the Bible. When confronted with the teaching of the Bible that challenged their belief they responded time and time again with, “We believe…”

During the second session they came with a video that they said was their conclusive archeological proof of the validity of the Book of Mormon. On the video an archeologist spoke at length about ancient civilizations in the Americas. But, there was not one single direct archeological proof for the historicity of the Book of Mormon. Finally, bluntly I asked, “Despite not one single shred of evidence for the Book of Mormon do you really believe this?” “Yes” they said.

So many people think that faith has to be a blind leap into the dark. To believe in God and live with our minds focused on the Spirit we have to set aside reality and our reason and our intellect. But, the evidence of what God calls us to is clearly seen in the historical facts of the Bible - in the historical facts of Jesus’ resurrection - in countless changed lives - in those who live by the answers they have found in Jesus Christ.

God speaks through the prophet Isaiah and says, “Come now, and let us reason together.” Let’s examine reality together. Let’s talk about the reality of your life and the life I offer you. (Isaiah 1:18). Peter - echoing God’s invitation through Isaiah - writes in 2 Peter 3:18: “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…”

God invites us to use our minds to know Him - to understand His truth - to seek His wisdom - to live within His will - to converse with Him about the reality of our lives.

Some here this morning are still testing the waters of life in Jesus Christ. Either you haven’t quite wanted to jump in all the way or you’re still standing on the side. You haven’t quite made up your mind yet. This morning you have opportunity to choose God’s reality.

There’s a second opportunity given to us this morning. We have the opportunity to rejoice in our salvation.

Psychologist tell us that we need something to tether our minds to - some sure foundation. In the confusion and delusion and uncertainty of this world God’s salvation in Jesus Christ is not blind faith. He is the reality - the anchor - we desperately need to cling to.

God has revealed Himself to us in Jesus Christ. Because of His revelation - we know that He is the God of grace - mercy - love - compassion - patience - faithfulness - forgiveness of sins - the God who sets us free from guilt - who brings joy and peace to our hearts - who disciplines us with such care and wisdom - who provides for and blesses His children - who cares for us with the tenderness of a loving Father - who is always with us. He is the God who enables us to know Him - to live life in Him now - and forever. May His praise be continually in our hearts - on our lips - shaping the focus of our minds.

Putting on the Helmet of Salvation means that we choose to set our minds on life in Jesus Christ rather than the death of this world. The Helmet of Salvation protects our minds - our ability to think and reason. To preserve and guide our thinking through all the confusion and spiritual darkness of this world. There is a tremendous confidence - a strength - that comes from having our minds set on God’s salvation.

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1. Today in the Word, 06.19.92, and World Vision, 04/84, quoted from The Biblical Studies Foundation