WEBVTT 00:00:02.100 --> 00:00:04.320 So Ephesians chapter 6, let's just go ahead and 00:00:04.320 --> 00:00:07.459 read beginning in verse 10 again. Finally, be 00:00:07.459 --> 00:00:09.460 strong in the Lord and in the strength of his 00:00:09.460 --> 00:00:12.199 might. Put on the full armor of God so that you 00:00:12.199 --> 00:00:14.359 will be able to stand firm against the schemes 00:00:14.359 --> 00:00:17.300 of the devil. For our struggle is not against 00:00:17.300 --> 00:00:19.339 flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against 00:00:19.339 --> 00:00:21.480 the powers, against the world forces of this 00:00:21.480 --> 00:00:24.780 darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness 00:00:24.780 --> 00:00:28.140 in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the 00:00:28.140 --> 00:00:30.379 full armor of God, so that you will be able to 00:00:30.379 --> 00:00:33.560 resist in the evil day. And having done everything 00:00:33.560 --> 00:00:36.479 to stand firm, stand firm therefore, having girded 00:00:36.479 --> 00:00:39.439 your loins with truth, having put on the breastplate 00:00:39.439 --> 00:00:42.359 of righteousness, and having shod your feet with 00:00:42.359 --> 00:00:46.259 the preparation of the gospel of peace. In addition 00:00:46.259 --> 00:00:49.060 to all, taking up the shield of faith, with which 00:00:49.060 --> 00:00:51.939 you will be able to extinguish all the flaming 00:00:51.939 --> 00:00:55.570 arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation 00:00:55.570 --> 00:00:57.710 and the sword of the spirit, which is the word 00:00:57.710 --> 00:01:03.390 of God So we'll stop there So tonight we're going 00:01:03.390 --> 00:01:13.170 to begin with the helmet of salvation Okay, so 00:01:13.170 --> 00:01:17.209 what is this what is this helmet of salvation 00:01:17.209 --> 00:01:23.010 First of all what part of the body are we protecting? 00:01:24.170 --> 00:01:29.569 The head. The head. We could say we're the mind, 00:01:29.950 --> 00:01:33.250 right? Our brains up there, our thinking. So 00:01:33.250 --> 00:01:35.530 the helmet is protecting the head, protecting 00:01:35.530 --> 00:01:42.629 our minds. Spiritually, what would we say? If 00:01:42.629 --> 00:01:45.150 we're likening that to that, what would we say? 00:01:52.329 --> 00:01:58.390 Not our soul, the way that we think, what we're 00:01:58.390 --> 00:02:03.890 thinking about, how we think, and maybe specifically 00:02:03.890 --> 00:02:06.549 with regard to salvation, right? The helmet of 00:02:06.549 --> 00:02:13.969 salvation. So, what does that mean? When we say 00:02:13.969 --> 00:02:19.310 salvation, the helmet of salvation, what salvation 00:02:19.310 --> 00:02:21.840 are we talking about? Is anybody giving any thought 00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:24.740 to that? What do we mean when we say salvation? 00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:29.280 So what I'm thinking here is there is a time 00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:32.300 when we were saved, right, when salvation came. 00:02:32.979 --> 00:02:36.000 We were born again, we were made new, and we 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:40.280 were saved, we would say. But there's also other 00:02:40.280 --> 00:02:42.939 salvations that we talk about, right? We talk 00:02:42.939 --> 00:02:47.099 about being saved. And what do we mean by that? 00:02:54.699 --> 00:02:59.280 The continuing work of sanctification, being 00:02:59.280 --> 00:03:03.840 made holy, changed life. And then we talk about 00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:10.400 being saved in a final state or the finality 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:16.939 of our salvation. What is that? Glorification. 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:21.919 Eternity. Reaching heaven. So this helmet of 00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:29.069 salvation... Which does it apply to? Paul here 00:03:29.069 --> 00:03:32.009 is speaking to Christians, right? We've already 00:03:32.009 --> 00:03:34.810 established that. That these are instructions 00:03:34.810 --> 00:03:37.189 to Christians. These are things that Christians 00:03:37.189 --> 00:03:39.770 are to do. So I don't think he's talking here 00:03:39.770 --> 00:03:42.270 about this first salvation that we mentioned. 00:03:42.669 --> 00:03:46.849 Being saved. We already are. We already are saved. 00:03:47.509 --> 00:03:50.530 So what salvation is he speaking of? Anybody 00:03:50.530 --> 00:04:03.000 have any thoughts? Okay, we've got to vote for 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:46.000 the final salvation. Okay. Okay, so Becky brings 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:54.360 up assurance there We got two votes So I think 00:04:54.360 --> 00:04:56.279 I think you guys are right. I think that's the 00:04:56.279 --> 00:05:00.730 emphasis. Okay, I think that the hope Of our 00:05:00.730 --> 00:05:03.589 final salvation is what Paul is talking about 00:05:03.589 --> 00:05:07.170 Primarily again, I don't think we can limit it 00:05:07.170 --> 00:05:09.649 to that in the sense of our sanctification I 00:05:09.649 --> 00:05:12.550 think I think that plays a role. I think we can 00:05:12.550 --> 00:05:15.990 definitely apply it to There to some degree, 00:05:15.990 --> 00:05:19.089 but I think it would seem the emphasis in my 00:05:19.089 --> 00:05:21.290 mind and in everybody else's that I read for 00:05:21.290 --> 00:05:25.029 the most part It's referring here to this hope 00:05:25.029 --> 00:05:28.850 that we have this hope of glory so if we look 00:05:28.850 --> 00:05:34.029 at And Paul says that also in Thessalonians, 00:05:34.029 --> 00:05:37.129 so if we look at that real quick in 1st Thessalonians 00:05:37.129 --> 00:05:47.389 I think it's 1st Thessalonians 5 Yeah, 1st Thessalonians 00:05:47.389 --> 00:05:52.149 5a He uses the same same type of language talking 00:05:52.149 --> 00:06:00.720 about the helmet First Thessalonians 5 a but 00:06:00.720 --> 00:06:03.399 since we are of the day Let us be sober having 00:06:03.399 --> 00:06:06.220 put on the breastplate of faith and love and 00:06:06.220 --> 00:06:10.060 as a helmet the hope of salvation For God has 00:06:10.060 --> 00:06:12.480 not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining 00:06:12.480 --> 00:06:16.259 salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ Who died 00:06:16.259 --> 00:06:18.480 for us so that whether we are awake or asleep. 00:06:18.860 --> 00:06:22.579 We will live together with him therefore encourage 00:06:22.579 --> 00:06:26.540 one another and build one another up just as 00:06:26.540 --> 00:06:30.649 You also are doing So here Paul uses this same 00:06:30.649 --> 00:06:37.209 language here of the armor. He talks about the 00:06:37.209 --> 00:06:39.709 breastplate of faith and love, which is different 00:06:39.709 --> 00:06:43.790 than he uses in Ephesians. But again, he's not 00:06:43.790 --> 00:06:46.029 there saying that the breastplate can only mean 00:06:46.029 --> 00:06:47.990 the breastplate of righteousness, as he said 00:06:47.990 --> 00:06:50.790 in Ephesians here. He's applying it differently, 00:06:50.850 --> 00:06:53.350 but he does say here this hope of salvation. 00:06:55.529 --> 00:07:01.360 I'm sorry. Yeah, the hope of salvation referring 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:04.500 to the helmet there So I think again, I think 00:07:04.500 --> 00:07:08.040 it's it's reasonable. It's good and we can certainly 00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:13.899 apply Apply that here So I think that is his 00:07:13.899 --> 00:07:23.839 emphasis here is our our hope of salvation So, 00:07:23.939 --> 00:07:30.689 how does that help us what good is that If we're 00:07:30.689 --> 00:07:33.209 to put on this helmet, this helmet of salvation, 00:07:33.670 --> 00:07:36.069 and we're saying here it is the hope of glory, 00:07:36.250 --> 00:07:40.569 the hope of eternal life, of reaching that state 00:07:40.569 --> 00:07:43.209 of glorification, how does that help us in our 00:07:43.209 --> 00:07:46.069 walk here? How is that a piece of armor that 00:07:46.069 --> 00:07:49.189 is to protect us, that is to help us in our warfare, 00:07:49.750 --> 00:07:52.269 that is to help us on our way? How does that 00:07:52.269 --> 00:08:05.449 apply? What does that mean for us? Well It should 00:08:05.449 --> 00:08:08.350 impact every part of our life So we're not going 00:08:08.350 --> 00:08:10.230 to touch on everything tonight, but there is 00:08:10.230 --> 00:08:17.069 a broad very broad array of things And if you 00:08:17.069 --> 00:08:20.069 want to know the full list then you can read 00:08:20.069 --> 00:08:22.730 William Grinnell's Christian incomplete armor 00:08:22.730 --> 00:08:26.990 and you can read 100 pages on what the helmet 00:08:26.990 --> 00:08:31.410 of salvation is But there's a lot of things there 00:08:31.410 --> 00:08:33.669 and it's amazing how many things he points out 00:08:33.669 --> 00:08:36.409 in there if you've not read the Puritans They 00:08:36.409 --> 00:08:38.590 can be difficult to read, but they are very thorough. 00:08:38.590 --> 00:08:43.470 And so you'll have point A and 1 2 3 4 5 and 00:08:43.470 --> 00:08:48.470 then B 1 2 3 4 5 6 and C 1 2 3 and then maybe 00:08:48.470 --> 00:08:50.370 sub points in there and so they really delve 00:08:50.370 --> 00:08:53.450 in deep and Apply these things and so how do 00:08:53.450 --> 00:08:55.490 we apply these things? How does this hope of 00:08:55.490 --> 00:09:01.279 salvation? this final state of glory encourages 00:09:01.279 --> 00:09:05.399 here well Becky said that there's a lot throughout 00:09:05.399 --> 00:09:08.460 the New Testament that she's been noticing telling 00:09:08.460 --> 00:09:12.700 us to think about those things okay so how does 00:09:12.700 --> 00:09:14.860 it what does what does that mean what does it 00:09:14.860 --> 00:09:17.559 mean to think about glory how does that impact 00:09:17.559 --> 00:09:43.039 us does anybody have any thoughts So so right 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:45.379 so that's just that's one let's just talk about 00:09:45.379 --> 00:09:49.100 that that's on my list here So this present life 00:09:49.100 --> 00:09:54.919 will end We're not stuck here forever with our 00:09:54.919 --> 00:10:01.100 difficulties with our sin with You name it physical 00:10:01.100 --> 00:10:06.799 ailments The sins that we struggle with truly 00:10:06.799 --> 00:10:10.559 struggle with on a regular basis and and all 00:10:10.559 --> 00:10:12.519 of those different things. That should be an 00:10:12.519 --> 00:10:15.960 encouragement that this time will end. It should 00:10:15.960 --> 00:10:19.019 encourage us to press on. It should encourage 00:10:19.019 --> 00:10:23.600 us to say, for a little while. Remember, if you 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:25.360 remember when we went through Peter, that's what 00:10:25.360 --> 00:10:27.620 Peter says. These things are for a little while. 00:10:28.480 --> 00:10:33.320 If you think of this life in that way, you can 00:10:33.320 --> 00:10:36.899 do anything for a little while. Right? I mean, 00:10:36.980 --> 00:10:40.549 how hard is it? You think of the saints of old 00:10:40.549 --> 00:10:43.289 and the torture that they endured for a little 00:10:43.289 --> 00:10:48.190 while in compared to glory. Our hardships here, 00:10:48.490 --> 00:10:51.009 and I'm not downplaying them at all obviously, 00:10:51.610 --> 00:10:54.830 they're hard. The Christian life can be a very 00:10:54.830 --> 00:10:58.870 hard life, spiritually speaking. It's just this 00:10:58.870 --> 00:11:03.789 life can be difficult in a physical sense. But 00:11:03.789 --> 00:11:08.600 the hope of glory far surpasses. all of those 00:11:08.600 --> 00:11:10.940 things that we endure here. And so it should 00:11:10.940 --> 00:11:14.039 encourage us to press on. It should encourage 00:11:14.039 --> 00:11:21.039 us to fight sin, to war against sin, that this 00:11:21.039 --> 00:11:24.360 struggle will end and I need to press on in this 00:11:24.360 --> 00:11:29.820 struggle. I really need to struggle against sin 00:11:29.820 --> 00:11:32.620 to fight. And so it should be an encouragement 00:11:32.620 --> 00:11:38.279 for us in that sense. Unless I forget, I want 00:11:38.279 --> 00:11:40.340 to, because this is on a previous page that we 00:11:40.340 --> 00:11:42.000 already went over, but Becky mentioned assurance. 00:11:42.039 --> 00:11:44.539 And I think that also is a great help. If we 00:11:44.539 --> 00:11:47.960 consider this helmet, one aspect of this helmet 00:11:47.960 --> 00:11:53.179 of salvation, assurance. I think we've said this 00:11:53.179 --> 00:11:56.679 before. There are, you know, the Christian church 00:11:56.679 --> 00:11:58.899 out there says you can't really have assurance. 00:11:59.240 --> 00:12:02.100 And that's a hard place to be if you really, 00:12:02.139 --> 00:12:04.240 I mean, I really don't know. I really don't know 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:06.389 where I'm going. I don't know if I'm reaching 00:12:06.389 --> 00:12:13.769 glory, right? We as Christians can have an absolute 00:12:13.769 --> 00:12:18.789 assurance that we will meet that or get to that 00:12:18.789 --> 00:12:23.309 final end, that final state where we will be 00:12:23.309 --> 00:12:27.090 with Jesus, where we will be like Him. And so, 00:12:27.090 --> 00:12:30.250 you know, I think that's part of this helmet 00:12:30.250 --> 00:12:33.269 of salvation that we put on here is this assurance. 00:12:33.409 --> 00:12:38.169 Now, Not everybody has assurance. Not every Christian 00:12:38.169 --> 00:12:41.950 necessarily has this assurance that they are 00:12:41.950 --> 00:12:46.529 God's child. And so if you don't have that, that 00:12:46.529 --> 00:12:48.769 is something to ask the Lord for. That is something 00:12:48.769 --> 00:12:54.710 to pray that the Lord would give you. Seek an 00:12:54.710 --> 00:12:58.690 answer in the scripture. I was reading through 00:12:58.690 --> 00:13:01.950 1 John 1, 2, 3. John talks about all sorts of 00:13:01.950 --> 00:13:05.070 things. If you are a child of God, this is true 00:13:05.070 --> 00:13:08.549 of you. Consider those things. Examine your life. 00:13:09.049 --> 00:13:12.049 Right? We're not just talking about just feelings. 00:13:13.590 --> 00:13:17.009 There is an inner sense, an inner peace, an experience 00:13:17.009 --> 00:13:21.009 of that assurance of salvation. But we can look 00:13:21.009 --> 00:13:24.129 at the Word and if we come honestly to the Word 00:13:24.129 --> 00:13:28.149 and we honestly evaluate ourselves, You know 00:13:28.149 --> 00:13:30.610 that that is a helpful thing seeking the Lord 00:13:30.610 --> 00:13:33.909 asking the Lord for that assurance For that peace 00:13:33.909 --> 00:13:36.470 that passes understanding and so that I think 00:13:36.470 --> 00:13:40.370 that's part of a part of it we talked earlier 00:13:40.370 --> 00:13:45.149 about the breastplate of righteousness and That's 00:13:45.149 --> 00:13:47.809 part of this whole assurance as well right living 00:13:47.809 --> 00:13:52.049 rightly living in a righteous way living a holy 00:13:52.049 --> 00:13:58.289 life Should be an encouragement to our assurance 00:13:58.289 --> 00:14:01.190 that we are doing these things. We are living 00:14:01.190 --> 00:14:05.429 in a way that shows I am a Christian. I am doing 00:14:05.429 --> 00:14:08.090 these things that God has told me to do. I want 00:14:08.090 --> 00:14:10.429 to do the things that God has told me to do. 00:14:10.649 --> 00:14:15.309 I want to obey. I want to be pleasing. And so 00:14:15.309 --> 00:14:19.750 that is a help in our assurance. Again, I think 00:14:19.750 --> 00:14:22.230 we said this, you know, that we have no peace 00:14:22.230 --> 00:14:25.809 when we are continuing in sin. There's no assurance 00:14:25.809 --> 00:14:29.440 there. that we are a child of God when we are 00:14:29.440 --> 00:14:33.919 just continuing to walk in sin. So, a righteous 00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:36.539 life, seeking the Lord for assurance. I think 00:14:36.539 --> 00:14:41.480 that's part of this as well. This helmet of salvation 00:14:41.480 --> 00:14:46.679 that gives us this great hope of glory. Okay. 00:14:49.419 --> 00:14:52.399 One other thing along these same lines here is 00:14:52.399 --> 00:14:56.570 the reality of our pilgrimage. that this is not 00:14:56.570 --> 00:15:01.129 our home and so this hope of glory we are hoping 00:15:01.129 --> 00:15:05.830 for something so much better and viewing ourselves 00:15:05.830 --> 00:15:09.350 rightly in this world is a help in that that 00:15:09.350 --> 00:15:12.289 this this is we are not citizens of this earthly 00:15:12.289 --> 00:15:15.990 this earthly land so to speak we are citizens 00:15:15.990 --> 00:15:20.350 of heaven and so again having the right view 00:15:20.350 --> 00:15:30.009 as we walk in this world Should help us So a 00:15:30.009 --> 00:15:38.450 couple verses here first John 3 1 to 3 I'll read 00:15:38.450 --> 00:15:42.549 these see how great a love the father Has bestowed 00:15:42.549 --> 00:15:44.769 on us that we would be called children of God 00:15:44.769 --> 00:15:47.850 and such we are For this reason the world does 00:15:47.850 --> 00:15:51.059 not know us because it did not know him Beloved, 00:15:51.100 --> 00:15:53.639 now are we children of God, and it has not appeared 00:15:53.639 --> 00:15:56.539 as yet what we will be. We know that when He 00:15:56.539 --> 00:15:59.220 appears, we will be like Him, because we will 00:15:59.220 --> 00:16:02.480 see Him just as He is. That everyone who has 00:16:02.480 --> 00:16:06.340 this hope fixed on Him purifies himself just 00:16:06.340 --> 00:16:09.799 as He is pure. So again, this hope of seeing 00:16:09.799 --> 00:16:15.200 Jesus should encourage us, should cause us to 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:22.279 purify ourselves, to deal with our sin. and to 00:16:22.279 --> 00:16:25.120 live a life that is wholly pleasing to the Lord. 00:16:28.059 --> 00:16:30.340 This is from William Grinnell. He says, the sight 00:16:30.340 --> 00:16:33.779 of glory makes corruptible or sinful things more 00:16:33.779 --> 00:16:37.500 grossly detestable. And so I think that is good 00:16:37.500 --> 00:16:41.919 to think in that regard. If we see, if we see 00:16:41.919 --> 00:16:45.779 this glory, it causes all of these things on 00:16:45.779 --> 00:16:55.720 earth to be of no value to us. 1 Peter 1 .3 I 00:16:55.720 --> 00:16:58.899 wrote down here too. So let me read that one. 00:17:00.740 --> 00:17:02.559 And I don't know if you guys remember, but going 00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:05.559 through 1 Peter, Peter is constantly telling 00:17:05.559 --> 00:17:12.880 us, reminding us of glory. There's, let's see, 00:17:12.940 --> 00:17:15.319 so it's, I think I've got three written down 00:17:15.319 --> 00:17:20.599 here, if I can. Remember well I wrote them here 00:17:20.599 --> 00:17:27.500 But in first Peter 1 3 he says it he says here 00:17:27.500 --> 00:17:29.640 blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus 00:17:29.640 --> 00:17:32.700 Christ Who according to his great mercy has caused 00:17:32.700 --> 00:17:36.460 us to be born again unto a living hope Through 00:17:36.460 --> 00:17:38.839 the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 00:17:38.839 --> 00:17:41.779 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable 00:17:41.779 --> 00:17:44.799 and undefiled and will not fade away Reserved 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:54.839 in heaven for you And then in verse 13, fix your 00:17:54.839 --> 00:17:57.180 hope completely on the grace to be brought to 00:17:57.180 --> 00:18:08.900 you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. And then 00:18:08.900 --> 00:18:10.940 I don't think I wrote this one down, I just read 00:18:10.940 --> 00:18:13.359 it, but there's another one in chapter two here 00:18:13.359 --> 00:18:24.799 that I read this evening actually. I can't find 00:18:24.799 --> 00:18:35.319 it. That was 1st Peter 1 .13. So anyway, Peter 00:18:35.319 --> 00:18:38.900 continually is reminding us of this glory that 00:18:38.900 --> 00:18:41.880 is ours, that is waiting for us. And in doing 00:18:41.880 --> 00:18:45.299 that, he is encouraging us to press on in holiness 00:18:45.299 --> 00:18:52.839 here in this world. All right. Another help. 00:18:54.960 --> 00:18:59.660 As we walk here, this hope that we have is Hebrews 00:18:59.660 --> 00:19:07.880 12. So this is the example of Jesus here. The 00:19:07.880 --> 00:19:12.440 writer to the Hebrews says in verse 2, 12 -2, 00:19:12.539 --> 00:19:15.380 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter 00:19:15.380 --> 00:19:18.680 of faith, who for the joy set before him, endured 00:19:18.680 --> 00:19:21.160 the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down 00:19:21.160 --> 00:19:32.160 at the right hand of the throne of God. So who 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:36.339 for the joy set before him was able to endure 00:19:36.339 --> 00:19:38.839 all of these things. And so again, it should 00:19:38.839 --> 00:19:42.440 be an encouragement to us in the same way for 00:19:42.440 --> 00:19:46.180 a little while here. There's a much greater joy 00:19:46.180 --> 00:20:28.650 that awaits us. Any comments or questions? Did 00:20:28.650 --> 00:20:36.789 I say Already the certainty of this of this glory 00:20:36.789 --> 00:20:41.910 I don't think I did because we skipped so again 00:20:41.910 --> 00:20:54.640 the certainty glory do we all there's no doubt 00:20:54.640 --> 00:21:01.480 right we have Jesus and we're told that he has 00:21:01.480 --> 00:21:05.940 accomplished all of this for us on the cross 00:21:05.940 --> 00:21:10.559 his death his resurrection in Corinthians first 00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:14.180 Corinthians 15 talks about If Christ is not raised, 00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:16.259 we are of all men most miserable. We have nothing 00:21:16.259 --> 00:21:19.619 to hope for, but Christ has risen. Christ is 00:21:19.619 --> 00:21:22.819 seated in the heavenly places at the Father's 00:21:22.819 --> 00:21:25.779 right hand. And because Christ has accomplished 00:21:25.779 --> 00:21:28.740 this and because Christ is there, we know that 00:21:28.740 --> 00:21:34.359 we will be there. And so again, we have a sure 00:21:34.359 --> 00:21:38.039 hope. We see that throughout Scripture. It's 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:43.519 not a hope that is... placed on something that 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:47.599 is shaking and variable, but it is a sure and 00:21:47.599 --> 00:21:52.720 solid hope based upon Jesus Christ, a solid rock 00:21:52.720 --> 00:21:56.880 who has accomplished all of these things. And 00:21:56.880 --> 00:22:04.380 so, viewing our salvation in that light, that 00:22:04.380 --> 00:22:08.880 final salvation, that glory that awaits as sure, 00:22:08.900 --> 00:22:16.740 as certain, guaranteed, wonderful, free from 00:22:16.740 --> 00:22:25.380 sin. All of those things should help us wage 00:22:25.380 --> 00:22:30.940 war here upon this earth. Viewing our final salvation 00:22:30.940 --> 00:22:40.700 aright. I think we said this in another way, 00:22:40.700 --> 00:22:44.099 but One of the points here that I have is hope 00:22:44.099 --> 00:22:47.640 gives patience to wait for God to perform His 00:22:47.640 --> 00:22:55.480 promises. So again, having this sure hope gives 00:22:55.480 --> 00:22:58.480 us patience to wait for God to perform His promises. 00:22:58.940 --> 00:23:02.779 His promise that He will glorify us. He will 00:23:02.779 --> 00:23:21.640 get us to glory. We will be with Him. On the 00:23:21.640 --> 00:23:24.859 same lines of hope that I have here, that our 00:23:24.859 --> 00:23:31.420 hope, let our hope be grounded in truth and not 00:23:31.420 --> 00:23:39.779 upon presumption or false doctrine. Well, we've 00:23:39.779 --> 00:23:41.940 kind of already talked about this. We talked 00:23:41.940 --> 00:23:45.700 about girding our loins with truth, and then 00:23:45.700 --> 00:23:47.720 when we talk about the sword of the spirit here, 00:23:47.740 --> 00:23:51.950 we'll talk again about truth. It is imperative 00:23:51.950 --> 00:23:55.369 for us to know the Word, to know what is promised 00:23:55.369 --> 00:23:58.410 to us there, to know what has been accomplished 00:23:58.410 --> 00:24:02.569 for us there through Christ, to know the promises 00:24:02.569 --> 00:24:08.029 of God. If we base our hope upon something other 00:24:08.029 --> 00:24:12.230 than Christ, other than the promises of God, 00:24:12.490 --> 00:24:14.710 other than those things that are in the Word, 00:24:16.789 --> 00:24:18.970 those things will shake. They will fail. They 00:24:18.970 --> 00:24:22.359 will crumble and fall. And then our hope, where 00:24:22.359 --> 00:24:27.319 is it? We're left with none. We're left devastated. 00:24:28.160 --> 00:24:31.680 We're left disappointed. But a hope that is based 00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:34.460 upon God, based upon His promises and upon His 00:24:34.460 --> 00:24:39.660 Word is sure. It's steadfast. And it will come 00:24:39.660 --> 00:25:55.009 to pass. Questions, comments? Is there a difference 00:25:55.009 --> 00:26:01.410 in you just mean in in there in their sureness 00:26:01.410 --> 00:26:06.299 of it No, I don't think there is. I mean, you 00:26:06.299 --> 00:26:10.039 hear, you know, just as you were talking, I think 00:26:10.039 --> 00:26:13.660 of that guy Richard Dawkins and the interview 00:26:13.660 --> 00:26:16.859 that he had with somebody and he was fully confident 00:26:16.859 --> 00:26:22.779 of everything that he said and had a reason and 00:26:22.779 --> 00:26:28.640 an argument and he was confident as can be. And 00:26:28.640 --> 00:26:34.799 so We can we can be just as confident as he his 00:26:34.799 --> 00:26:39.279 confidence is based upon his himself Now you 00:26:39.279 --> 00:26:42.519 know you could say we could say well He knows 00:26:42.519 --> 00:26:44.619 that there's a God because the scripture says 00:26:44.619 --> 00:26:48.720 that and that's true And so he's really not that 00:26:48.720 --> 00:26:53.519 confident. He's just denying these These things 00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:55.700 that that he does know that God has revealed 00:26:55.700 --> 00:26:59.369 to all men that he's suppressed And you could 00:26:59.369 --> 00:27:02.190 say he really doesn't have confidence, and that's 00:27:02.190 --> 00:27:04.230 fine. I can understand that argument for sure. 00:27:06.410 --> 00:27:08.950 But yeah, his confidence is baseless, because 00:27:08.950 --> 00:27:11.190 it's just based upon his own philosophies and 00:27:11.190 --> 00:27:31.710 his own logic, his own reason. I think it does 00:27:31.710 --> 00:27:35.250 make it easier to think about storing that treasure 00:27:35.250 --> 00:27:40.130 rather than here doing things that will benefit 00:27:40.130 --> 00:27:52.089 us there rather than here in the temporary. That 00:27:52.089 --> 00:27:54.750 should definitely be an impact. It should definitely 00:27:54.750 --> 00:28:13.339 change our thinking. Fix your hope completely 00:28:13.339 --> 00:28:15.480 on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation 00:28:15.480 --> 00:28:45.059 of Jesus Christ. If you're a Christian and you've 00:28:45.059 --> 00:28:49.440 actually experienced God, I don't know if you 00:28:49.440 --> 00:28:52.660 will, then you can have a kind of assurance that 00:28:52.660 --> 00:28:55.640 somebody who thinks they're a Christian has never 00:28:55.640 --> 00:28:58.559 actually put their faith into practice. You know, 00:28:59.160 --> 00:29:03.380 like, I've heard people talk about, uh, like, 00:29:03.700 --> 00:29:06.579 jack stands and metaphor for faith. So if they 00:29:06.579 --> 00:29:07.839 don't, you know, if you're just looking at the 00:29:07.839 --> 00:29:10.059 jack stands on your garage, it's like, yeah, 00:29:10.079 --> 00:29:32.529 I've got those over there. Yeah, that's for sure. 00:29:35.450 --> 00:29:38.670 There is a different again to say we have confidence. 00:29:39.519 --> 00:29:42.640 And then when those things come that would shake 00:29:42.640 --> 00:29:46.720 our confidence, would shake our hope, we find 00:29:46.720 --> 00:29:48.839 out that our confidence really isn't that great. 00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:52.859 We can say it, we can look like it, but when 00:29:52.859 --> 00:29:55.299 anything were to come against us, all of a sudden, 00:29:56.160 --> 00:29:58.220 we're not all that sure because we don't have 00:29:58.220 --> 00:30:17.170 a sure hope, a true confidence. Okay. The next 00:30:17.170 --> 00:30:21.170 verse there, or the next part of the verse, I 00:30:21.170 --> 00:30:29.589 think, is the sword of the spirit. The helmet 00:30:29.589 --> 00:30:32.950 of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which 00:30:32.950 --> 00:30:41.950 is the word of God. What is this sword of the 00:30:41.950 --> 00:30:54.190 Spirit? The Word of God. Okay. Is this a weapon 00:30:54.190 --> 00:31:09.539 of offense or defense? Yes. Yes. Okay. I just 00:31:09.539 --> 00:31:12.319 point that out, it's both, right? I mean, the 00:31:12.319 --> 00:31:15.480 word of God, this sword of the spirit, can be 00:31:15.480 --> 00:31:19.440 used in both ways. As an offensive weapon and 00:31:19.440 --> 00:31:23.339 as a defensive weapon. To ward off the attacks 00:31:23.339 --> 00:31:27.500 of Satan, just like the shield of faith. That 00:31:27.500 --> 00:31:30.680 faith that is based upon promises of God and 00:31:30.680 --> 00:31:34.180 all those things that we mentioned. It's all 00:31:34.180 --> 00:31:37.450 contained in the word of God. And so that sword, 00:31:37.529 --> 00:31:40.390 when wielded properly, is a sword of defense 00:31:40.390 --> 00:31:42.690 against the lies and the doubts that Satan would 00:31:42.690 --> 00:31:47.049 bring. It's also a sword of offense to wage war 00:31:47.049 --> 00:31:49.690 against the world, the flesh, and the devil, 00:31:50.950 --> 00:31:53.769 and all those things that are contrary to the 00:31:53.769 --> 00:32:01.829 kingdom of God. Okay. Why is it the sword of 00:32:01.829 --> 00:32:05.029 the spirit? Why is it referred to as the sword 00:32:05.029 --> 00:32:14.690 of the spirit? Okay. That's not what I'm looking 00:32:14.690 --> 00:32:22.210 for, but that is true. The sword of the spirit, 00:32:22.390 --> 00:32:26.029 the spirit. Okay, this is from the spirit, the 00:32:26.029 --> 00:32:30.940 word of God. Where does it come from? comes from 00:32:30.940 --> 00:32:34.200 God, comes from the Spirit. The Spirit inspired 00:32:34.200 --> 00:32:38.119 men to write the Word of God, right? And so this 00:32:38.119 --> 00:32:46.579 sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. Where 00:32:46.579 --> 00:32:49.559 is it? In Peter, if you just want to write this 00:32:49.559 --> 00:33:13.079 down. 2nd Peter 1 19 -21 talks about the scripture 00:33:13.079 --> 00:33:16.220 and the interpretation of scripture and the prophecy 00:33:16.220 --> 00:33:28.180 all not of man but of God. Alright, so an offensive 00:33:28.180 --> 00:33:31.789 weapon, a defensive weapon, the sword is The 00:33:31.789 --> 00:33:37.490 Word of God, from God, given to us, able to defeat 00:33:37.490 --> 00:33:45.390 every enemy. I made a special note of that there 00:33:45.390 --> 00:33:50.549 in my notes. Able to defeat every enemy. We think 00:33:50.549 --> 00:33:54.829 of the Word of God in that way. That it is all 00:33:54.829 --> 00:33:58.950 that we need for our warfare here upon this earth. 00:33:59.559 --> 00:34:03.200 That it is it is the answer to everything to 00:34:03.200 --> 00:34:09.840 every question it is We just consider the Bible 00:34:09.840 --> 00:34:14.760 and the Word of God Flip back to these notes 00:34:14.760 --> 00:34:17.280 here. What is what are some things that we could 00:34:17.280 --> 00:34:26.800 say about the scripture? Just So for example, 00:34:26.800 --> 00:34:36.489 it's inspired What else could we say? It's inerrant. 00:34:38.050 --> 00:34:40.829 There is nothing. There is no contradiction, 00:34:41.130 --> 00:34:44.050 right? There is no false teaching in there. There's 00:34:44.050 --> 00:34:50.230 nothing. There's no mess ups. It's true. Psalm 00:34:50.230 --> 00:34:55.230 19. If you want to write that down and read some 00:34:55.230 --> 00:35:02.650 of that. Psalm 19, I think it's beginning in 00:35:02.650 --> 00:35:10.969 verse 7. The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring 00:35:10.969 --> 00:35:15.369 the soul. Testimony of the Lord is sure. The 00:35:15.369 --> 00:35:18.150 precepts of the Lord are right. The commandment 00:35:18.150 --> 00:35:21.250 of the Lord is pure. The fear of the Lord is 00:35:21.250 --> 00:35:26.190 clean. Judgments of the Lord are true. And he 00:35:26.190 --> 00:35:28.710 goes on, he says, what each one of those things 00:35:28.710 --> 00:35:32.829 do then. in our lives. And so, what else can 00:35:32.829 --> 00:35:36.829 we say? It's sufficient. The Word of God is sufficient 00:35:36.829 --> 00:35:41.510 for us. It tells us all about salvation. It tells 00:35:41.510 --> 00:35:45.949 about life here and how we're to live. It tells 00:35:45.949 --> 00:35:48.170 us who God is. All that we need to know about 00:35:48.170 --> 00:35:50.869 God is contained in the Word. We don't need to 00:35:50.869 --> 00:35:54.409 go elsewhere to find that. Everything about man. 00:35:54.969 --> 00:35:56.809 What we need to know about ourselves. What we 00:35:56.809 --> 00:35:59.349 need to know about those around us. contained 00:35:59.349 --> 00:36:03.269 in the scriptures. The Word of God is sufficient. 00:36:06.070 --> 00:36:12.230 Everything about it is true. So all of the historical 00:36:12.230 --> 00:36:15.909 things that are written in the scripture, those 00:36:15.909 --> 00:36:23.710 are true. The songs, the poetry, the songs and 00:36:23.710 --> 00:36:29.929 all of that, to worship. prophecies I mean it's 00:36:29.929 --> 00:36:32.030 amazing to consider the prophecies in the Old 00:36:32.030 --> 00:36:37.670 Testament all came true and was a clear evidence 00:36:37.670 --> 00:36:40.789 that this was the Word of God all the wisdom 00:36:40.789 --> 00:36:43.070 literature that we have there all of the doctrine 00:36:43.070 --> 00:36:47.949 that is contained all of the practical application 00:36:47.949 --> 00:36:51.989 for our daily lives for our sanctification all 00:36:51.989 --> 00:36:54.610 of these things are contained there the Word 00:36:54.610 --> 00:36:58.539 of God It's all that we need and it is able to 00:36:58.539 --> 00:37:05.639 defeat every foe. It is able to withstand, to 00:37:05.639 --> 00:37:09.480 defend against every attack of Satan. It is able 00:37:09.480 --> 00:37:13.820 to give us all that we need as far as encouragement 00:37:13.820 --> 00:37:20.340 and strength, to build our faith and our trust 00:37:20.340 --> 00:37:23.360 in God. It's all contained there in the Word 00:37:23.360 --> 00:37:32.269 of God. This sword of the spirit It's all there 00:37:32.269 --> 00:37:47.630 All right How else is the but does the Bible 00:37:47.630 --> 00:38:00.250 describe this sword this word of God Okay, a 00:38:00.250 --> 00:38:15.889 two -edged sword. That's in Hebrews 4. 412. For 00:38:15.889 --> 00:38:18.710 the word of God is living and active and sharper 00:38:18.710 --> 00:38:21.750 than any two -edged sword, and piercing as far 00:38:21.750 --> 00:38:24.110 as the division of soul and spirit and joints 00:38:24.110 --> 00:38:27.110 and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and 00:38:27.110 --> 00:38:33.219 intents of the heart. The Word of God is quick, 00:38:33.659 --> 00:38:41.440 it's active, alive, living, lively. It is powerful, 00:38:41.820 --> 00:38:44.039 able to shatter the kingdom of Satan and set 00:38:44.039 --> 00:38:55.639 up the kingdom of Christ. It's a light. I didn't 00:38:55.639 --> 00:38:59.280 have that one on my list, but I should put it 00:38:59.280 --> 00:39:10.900 there. It is able to cut this two -edged sword. 00:39:10.940 --> 00:39:16.000 It is able to dissect. It is able to, if you 00:39:16.000 --> 00:39:18.980 think of the scalpel of a surgeon, to cut out 00:39:18.980 --> 00:39:21.880 just that one part that needs to be dealt with. 00:39:22.239 --> 00:39:26.440 To pinpoint, pinpoint accuracy as the Word of 00:39:26.440 --> 00:39:30.139 God is applied to our hearts and to our lives, 00:39:30.260 --> 00:39:34.920 to our minds, dealing with that specific area. 00:39:35.000 --> 00:39:37.199 in our lives that the Lord wants to deal with. 00:39:37.719 --> 00:39:42.000 The Word of God is able to do that, to deal with 00:39:42.000 --> 00:39:45.360 that one sin, to deal with that one issue, whatever 00:39:45.360 --> 00:39:51.179 it may be. He is able, and He is able through 00:39:51.179 --> 00:39:54.920 the Spirit to apply that to us in that way. I 00:39:54.920 --> 00:39:58.300 wrote down here, able to cut away the flesh that 00:39:58.300 --> 00:40:01.940 would hinder us and cause us to stumble, to be 00:40:01.940 --> 00:40:16.960 tempted. Alright, anything else that anybody 00:40:16.960 --> 00:40:23.260 remembers about the Word of God? Okay, it endures 00:40:23.260 --> 00:40:50.599 forever. What does that mean, Chris? One job 00:40:50.599 --> 00:40:52.679 or one tittle will not pass away till all is 00:40:52.679 --> 00:40:59.239 fulfilled. Is that? Yeah. Okay. It endures forever. 00:41:00.239 --> 00:41:04.659 It has been preserved for us. It is unchanging. 00:41:09.079 --> 00:41:12.519 It's relevant for all times. It's what? Relevant 00:41:12.519 --> 00:41:29.280 for all times. I don't know that we will need 00:41:29.280 --> 00:41:47.739 need it when we're in heaven Yeah, that's that's 00:41:47.739 --> 00:41:58.360 in Hebrews, isn't it Yeah, the Word of God will 00:41:58.360 --> 00:42:02.860 never pass away. As far as the truths that are 00:42:02.860 --> 00:42:05.300 contained in Scripture, they will be true forever. 00:42:06.519 --> 00:42:15.860 They are unchanging. We will live perfectly there. 00:42:15.980 --> 00:42:19.099 We will have Jesus. We will have God there. We 00:42:19.099 --> 00:42:21.300 will not need to be instructed from the Word. 00:42:21.800 --> 00:42:36.909 We will be with Him. the word Okay, so a couple 00:42:36.909 --> 00:42:41.369 of examples With this sword we're able to resist 00:42:41.369 --> 00:42:45.250 the devil we see that with Jesus in the wilderness 00:42:45.250 --> 00:42:54.610 We will be able to answer those who would seek 00:42:54.610 --> 00:43:05.510 to distort the Word or accuse us or God falsely. 00:43:05.849 --> 00:43:08.150 You think of the Pharisees and all the things 00:43:08.150 --> 00:43:11.190 they said and did, and how Jesus had to correct 00:43:11.190 --> 00:43:14.309 them and rebuke them. And so the Word of God 00:43:14.309 --> 00:43:24.049 is sufficient for all of those things. Okay, 00:43:24.049 --> 00:43:30.050 so what does this mean for us then? So how do 00:43:30.050 --> 00:43:33.789 we apply this? What does this mean for us in 00:43:33.789 --> 00:43:38.630 our daily lives? What good are all of these facts? 00:43:42.369 --> 00:43:45.809 What does that say to us? We've got to know these 00:43:45.809 --> 00:43:48.590 things, right? That's the first thing. All of 00:43:48.590 --> 00:43:50.210 these things that we mentioned, and again, we 00:43:50.210 --> 00:43:54.059 didn't... We didn't go through everything we 00:43:54.059 --> 00:44:00.900 went through this quickly and so We need to know 00:44:00.900 --> 00:44:05.679 all of these things unchanging and errant Relevant 00:44:05.679 --> 00:44:07.780 all of these things that we mentioned concerning 00:44:07.780 --> 00:44:11.440 the Word of God. We need to know that But what 00:44:11.440 --> 00:44:18.099 else do we need to know? Got to know the Word 00:44:18.099 --> 00:44:22.809 itself, okay, that's imperative The sword of 00:44:22.809 --> 00:44:26.130 the spirit, how is the spirit, how is that sword 00:44:26.130 --> 00:44:29.489 of the spirit going to work in our lives? To 00:44:29.489 --> 00:44:34.090 cut and to change us and then also to change 00:44:34.090 --> 00:44:36.610 those around us as we speak the word if we don't 00:44:36.610 --> 00:44:40.769 know the word. The word if I hid in my heart 00:44:40.769 --> 00:44:43.489 that I might not sin against thee, right? And 00:44:43.489 --> 00:44:47.110 so we've got to hide the word in our heart. Not 00:44:47.110 --> 00:44:50.340 only do we have to memorize the word, We have 00:44:50.340 --> 00:44:54.280 to be able to study the Word and to know what 00:44:54.280 --> 00:44:59.960 it means. We've got to know what the... We can't 00:44:59.960 --> 00:45:02.320 just have a proof text for everything, right? 00:45:03.559 --> 00:45:07.719 We've got to have real texts in context saying, 00:45:08.199 --> 00:45:10.380 here's what this means. This is what God is teaching 00:45:10.380 --> 00:45:14.219 us. This is this doctrine. This is how we apply 00:45:14.219 --> 00:45:17.059 this based upon this scripture and that scripture. 00:45:18.460 --> 00:45:20.980 We've got to know the Word of God and we've got 00:45:20.980 --> 00:45:23.679 to apply it rightly to our lives. We have to 00:45:23.679 --> 00:45:26.199 memorize the Word of God. We've got to read it, 00:45:26.260 --> 00:45:29.559 study it, be familiar with it. All of these things 00:45:29.559 --> 00:45:36.119 are essential if we are going to wield this sword 00:45:36.119 --> 00:45:40.980 in a way that is both offensive and defensive 00:45:40.980 --> 00:45:46.059 in our lives. It is this Word of God, this sword 00:45:46.059 --> 00:45:50.949 of the Spirit in which we wage war. All right? 00:45:56.030 --> 00:46:01.550 Logic and reason and argument. Those are fine. 00:46:02.670 --> 00:46:05.389 But we don't reason people into the kingdom of 00:46:05.389 --> 00:46:09.369 God. We've got to present them with truth. Here's 00:46:09.369 --> 00:46:13.110 what the Bible says. Here's what the Bible says 00:46:13.110 --> 00:46:16.429 about you, about me. about who God is, about 00:46:16.429 --> 00:46:21.769 who Christ is, what salvation is. The truth is 00:46:21.769 --> 00:46:26.269 what is essential. The Word is essential. And 00:46:26.269 --> 00:46:30.070 so we must be able to wield that sword. We must 00:46:30.070 --> 00:46:34.750 be able to present the Word and to use it appropriately. 00:46:35.210 --> 00:46:38.110 And we've got to apply it as well in our own 00:46:38.110 --> 00:46:42.070 lives. We've got to apply it to the attacks of 00:46:42.070 --> 00:46:47.869 Satan. The attacks of the world. All of these 00:46:47.869 --> 00:46:51.250 things tie together. Everything that we've mentioned 00:46:51.250 --> 00:46:59.250 from the very beginning to now. Standing firm. 00:47:00.750 --> 00:47:09.849 Upon who? The Lord. On Jesus Christ. On the truth 00:47:09.849 --> 00:47:11.929 and all of these things that we've gone through. 00:47:12.159 --> 00:47:14.840 They all tie together. They all intertwine. They're 00:47:14.840 --> 00:47:18.159 all interwoven. We didn't really talk much about 00:47:18.159 --> 00:47:22.260 faith tonight. But all of these things, why do 00:47:22.260 --> 00:47:26.559 we believe the Word of God? There's faith involved. 00:47:30.920 --> 00:47:34.900 We've got to have faith. So there's faith involved 00:47:34.900 --> 00:47:37.099 in all of these things. There's truth involved 00:47:37.099 --> 00:47:39.940 in all of these things. There's application of 00:47:39.940 --> 00:47:43.510 all of these things. So, girding our loins with 00:47:43.510 --> 00:47:47.170 truth, the breastplate of righteousness, having 00:47:47.170 --> 00:47:50.289 our feet shoved, the helmet of salvation, the 00:47:50.289 --> 00:47:56.050 sword of the Spirit. It's a daily putting on 00:47:56.050 --> 00:48:01.230 these things, a daily reminding ourselves of 00:48:01.230 --> 00:48:06.250 the gospel, the truth of the gospel, the glory 00:48:06.250 --> 00:48:10.480 that awaits us, Jesus Christ, who He is. what 00:48:10.480 --> 00:48:15.679 He has accomplished, who we are in Him. All of 00:48:15.679 --> 00:48:20.159 these things should be daily upon our minds. 00:48:21.619 --> 00:48:24.820 The faithfulness of God, the promises of God. 00:48:27.800 --> 00:48:31.760 That's the armor that we're putting on. And remember, 00:48:31.800 --> 00:48:36.199 it is a daily putting on. A moment by moment 00:48:36.199 --> 00:48:40.460 putting on. We say putting it on as though, you 00:48:40.460 --> 00:48:42.659 know, I say daily putting it on as though we 00:48:42.659 --> 00:48:45.000 take it off at night We talked about that. We 00:48:45.000 --> 00:48:49.619 don't take it off But it's daily girding ourselves 00:48:49.619 --> 00:48:53.539 with these things Putting these things upon our 00:48:53.539 --> 00:48:58.780 minds Resting upon Jesus Christ. I mean we could 00:48:58.780 --> 00:49:02.880 go on and on and on But it's imperative that 00:49:02.880 --> 00:49:06.539 we remember this is a daily thing for each of 00:49:06.539 --> 00:49:11.039 us We've got to be in the word we've got to fix 00:49:11.039 --> 00:49:16.260 our minds upon truth fix our minds upon Christ 00:49:16.260 --> 00:49:23.500 Rest in him rest in him for our salvation Rest 00:49:23.500 --> 00:49:29.559 in him In every circumstance on the sovereignty 00:49:29.559 --> 00:49:34.300 of God Right. I mean daily life will seek to 00:49:34.300 --> 00:49:38.679 throw us all out of whack Satan to distract us 00:49:38.679 --> 00:49:45.840 to tempt us and So we've got to be grounded We've 00:49:45.840 --> 00:49:48.619 got to be sure we've got to remind ourselves 00:49:48.619 --> 00:49:52.320 of these things speaking to ourselves these truths 00:49:52.320 --> 00:50:05.719 Daily moment by moment Any questions any comments 00:50:36.839 --> 00:50:41.260 Any comments any other questions?