Eph 6:17 The Helmet of Salvation and Deliverance, the Sword of the Spirit

The TREE OF LIFE weekly teaching summary from THE WEEK ENDING:

July 04, 1999

As the battle draws closer and closer we need to be intimately acquainted with the weapons needed at each stage of the conflict. We have studied the shield of faith needed to ward off Satan's flaming missiles which are hurled from a distance. Now Paul brings in the helmet of salvation/deliverance needed to protect the soul as the enemy comes in even closer.
There is a specific order Paul makes note of in Ephesians 6 in which the weapons come into play. And because the head houses the mental attitude it must be fully protected during combat. The helmet of deliverance points to the perception and metabolization of Bible doctrine and the sword of the Spirit, which we will note next, points to the application of doctrine.
Because the head is where the soul resides and the heart functions, that is the enemy's main target!! The Christian soldier must therefore be able to handle pressure, especially the pressure directed toward the mental attitude. All discouragement and failure has its hatching. point in one's system of thinking. And, when the enemy moves in closer, his objective is the system of thinking. The enemy attacks us with weariness, enough so to induce the believer into giving up the entire battle. The kingdom of darkness is very exact in his every move and will attack believers individually and also place a general attack on the body in which they are a part of. There are specific flaming missiles designed to confuse and scatter the members of the body of Christ, hence, its effectiveness. The enemy works on you personally to wear you down and then works on those around you so they too serve to wear you down. It's a winning hand for the devil for those who are not disciplined in donning their helmet. Therefore, the helmet is the metaphor for learning doctrine under the principle of discipline. Our objective in the spiritual life is to keep standing and at all times holding our ground, but without the proper combat gear the enemy troops will plow right over us. "If' you have the confidence to stay with truth, standing firm with you gear on, you will be delivered! In fact, a lack of spiritual confidence is contradictory to predestination. We have a daily responsibility toward the word of God, be it by way of perception and metabolization or application. And the wearing of the helmet is our protection in spiritual warfare.
In Ephesians 6:17 God the Holy Spirit, through the pen of the apostle Paul, is telling us that the helmet requires discipline and mental training. It may not always be desirable to put on this heavy helmet. This is why God the Holy Spirit used the verb dechomai which means to receive favorably and to welcome at all times even when you may not feel like it. God is telling us not to reject truth but to welcome it at all times! We need constant protection for our soul. The head is the most vulnerable place on the body since it houses the soul and the wearing of the helmet calls for three functions:
Respect for authority.
Respect for discipline.
Self-discipline as well.
Acts 17:11 "Now these were more noble minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so. " We have daily obligations with God. The word of God was daily our Lord's delight, PRO 8:30. We are not to let anyone or anything rob us of our day time with God's word.
I Timothy 4:7 "...discipline yourself for the urpose of godliness."
Spiritual discipline incorporates the metaphor used by Paul and turns the helmet into tangible protection. How do I put on this spiritual helmet? Through the discipline which comes in learning truth daily and applying what you learn when pressured and tested. Knowledge of the word of God is power!
Proverbs 15:14 "The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on folly.",br Proverbs 18:15 "The mind of the prudent [discerning] acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge."
It is the steady mind/ the mind which trust in the Lord which the Lord will keep in perfect peace, ISA 26:3. The helmet gives the believer confidence. The helmet is not just for becoming a Christian but for experiencing sanctification and confidence in the spiritual life, ITh 5:8. The term "salvation" has three tenses it is used in:
1- Past = justification. The moment you believed in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who died for the sins of the world and was raised again you were eternally delivered.
2- Present = sanctification. We are presently being set apart for godliness as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
3- Future = glorification. This points to the ultimate sanctification of our eternal status.
The helmet is our present path to being sanctified in the spiritual realm. The helmet establishes in the believer spiritual confidence which allows the believer to handle all the pressures in life. This confidence is a virtue developed in predestination based on the word of God. The secret to confidence is respect for God. This confidence is never a system of self-improvement based on dependency on others but is based on a dependence on truth! The helmet gives the believer a red alert system which prevents the believer from being manipulated by people.
In light of the eternal and glorious truth of God, we will always be "in need" of power, yet true biblical confidence never feels threatened by self s shortcomings or by others. There are certain problems in your life which are designed to be unsolvable but confidence win give you the ability to handle these problems and remain occupied with Christ, hence solve the unsolvable!
The helmet allows the believer to have a relaxed mental attitude and be spiritually self--sustained. It gives the believer tranquillity of soul, stability, composure, grace orientation, strength and a personal sense of destiny. Pressure cannot penetrate the helmet of deliverance, therefore if pressures have penetrated your heart, you do not have the helmet on!
Under the helmet the believer finds poise from divine viewpoint. Remember, the objective of spiritual warfare is to get inside your right lobe. Satan is not exactly after the left lobe (the nous) where information enters. He is after the right lobe where information is believed and understood. The right lobe is where our system of thinking is based and where our norms and standards are solidified. That is where the enemy wants full reign! That is why the helmet must be worn.
The mentality of the soul is divided into two lobes. In the brain we have the right lobe, known in the Greek as the kardia or the heart and the left lobe, known in the Greek as the nous or the mind. But there are also other compartments in the brain such as the soul with its five compartments. The heart (right lobe) itself is made up of eight compartments, the most important being the frame of reference. All you do is from your frame of reference, it is the entrance into the heart and is the area which establishes ' the conceptual structure of the heart. Our norms and standards are developed in the frame of reference department. This is where the evil one wants switch that which is called good for evil and evil for good as noted in ISA 5:20. This game is what causes a perverted right lobe. And the enemy knows that a believer cannot live right unless he first thinks right. Proverbs 27:19 "As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man".
Proverbs 23:7 "For as he thinks within himself, so he is..."
Jeremiah 11:20 tells us that God will test our emotions in relation to the heart. Therefore he who doubts is condemned, Rom 14:23. The believer can be hindered by emotions especially in the area of application. This is why Satan tempts the believer to look back and become discouraged or bitter rather than looking forward with expectation. The heart is the place where we are to treasure the word of God, PSA 119:1 1. The heart again, is the enemy's target and must be protected! It is the arrogant believer who rejects the wearing of his helmet, PRO 18:12. The wise seeks understanding as did King Solomon in I Ki 3:9. Our Lord's evaluation of you is what you think in your heart just as our enemy pursues after what you think in your heart. One of them will win - depending on your discipline in the use of your helmet. The helmet will deliver you but not when it is carelessly sitting on the floor.
1TH 5:8 "Having put on the breastplate of ,faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope or confidence of salvation. "
The helmet of deliverance gives the believer confidence in the following areas:
1- Confidence in our salvation developed in predestination.
2- This confidence is never a system of self-improvement based on dependence on others.
3- Under biblical confidence, you are free from legalistic bullying, flattery, counseling and people dependence.
4- Biblical confidence is the declaration of independence of your royal priesthood.
5- Biblical confidence is the status of solving the unsolvable problems.
6- Biblical confidence is the believer's dependence on God's provision for the stabilization of self and integration of self into predestination.
7- The believer who has true biblical confidence has learned from his right pastor-teacher to use his own doctrine to solve his own problems.
8- True biblical confidence does not feel threatened by snide remarks or criticism in regard to their dedication to doctrine.