How many lives have been lost because someone riding a motorcycle or bicycle was not wearing a helmet? Now I am not advocating helmet laws, I’ll keep that matter to myself, but equipment that protects life is something that should be given at least serious consideration. When a motor cyclist or bicyclist chooses to not wear a helmet, he or she is saying either, “I’m willing to take a chance with my life†or “Nothing is going to happen to me.â€
Whenever a person rejects Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Savior, he or she is in effect saying the same things. Or worse yet, in their arrogance they believe they will go to heaven on their merits alone. There are only two types of religions in the world: Christianity, which proclaims salvation comes only from grace through Jesus Christ, and then all other world religions which require some type of works on the part of the follower—in other words salvation through works.
Using a logical argument, two belief systems can both be wrong, one or the other is wrong, but they cannot be both right. So either Christianity is right and all the other world religions are wrong; all the other world religions are right and Christianity is wrong; or they are both wrong. And for Christianity to be wrong the Bible must be proclaimed as false.
Where do you stand? Do you take the nonsensical stand that all religions lead to and worship the same God? That is an untenable position so you must choose one of three options: 1) Christianity is true; 2) Christianity is false; or 3) all religions are false.
The Lord Jesus Christ boldly, authoritatively, exclusively, and unequivocally proclaimed Christianity as the one true way to God:
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“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.†(John 14:6)
That verse from the Bible alone either indicts itself as a fake or declares itself as authoritative.
Wait a minute, what happened to the full armor of God?! Yesterday we found our shield of faith and today it is time to put on our headgear:
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“And take the helmet of salvation…†(Ephesians 6:17a)
Paul used the word helmet for two reasons: 1) protecting the soldier’s head; and 2) providing a symbol of strength and victory.
A blow to the head can be deadly and without the helmet of salvation spiritually when death comes you will die in your sins; but with the helmet of salvation you are protected from death’s final sting and you have victory over death because of your faith in Jesus Christ.
Do you have the true helmet of salvation as part of your spiritual armor, or is it a cheap fake? Paul warned the Thessalonians:
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“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.†(1Thessalonians 5:1-10)
Dear wandering soul, do you have the hope of salvation? If not you are under the wrath of God even though He wishes for you to “obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.†You say, “I am not under God’s wrath just because I do not believe in Jesus!†Oh but Jesus says you are!
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“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.†(John 3:18-21)
The evil one wants to kill you. Satan wants you to die in your sins; he wants you to believe you do not need God. He wants you to believe that this life is all there is. He wants you to believe that you are good enough to get into heaven. He wants you to believe that God is holding out on you. He wants you to distort the Word of God to what you “feel†it says. He has from the very beginning!
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“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.†(Genesis 3:1-7)
If you read on in Genesis 3 you will see that when God questions the three about what they have done in the garden the serpent is silent. Why is that? Because he achieved what he had set out to do; he brought death to mankind.
This Bible is not some superstitious collection of sixty-six stories from forty different men over 1500 years trying to control mankind. The Bible is sixty-six Holy Spirit inspired books written by forty anointed men of God over a span of 1500 years who are bringing the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! That message is wrapped up in the hope of salvation because without Jesus we have no hope and we have been without hope since the Garden of Eden.
Do not be deceived…open your eyes to the Truth. Know that the Life Jesus Christ offers is life more abundantly on earth and eternally with Him in Heaven. And this God-Man from Nazareth was more than a carpenter; He is the promise God made to Satan in the Garden:
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“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.†(Genesis 3:15)
Where is your hope?
Of what is your helmet made?
Choose wisely because in the end, it is your choice.
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, I pray you will surrender to Him right now. I would love to hear of that decision.
If you do know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, I pray you will share this with someone you know who does not.
The Holy Spirit has put a massive burden on my heart this morning; may God be glorified.
Have a blessed weekend and be sure to go to church on Sunday.
I will be taking Monday off so we will see you on Tuesday morning because although we have all the spiritual armor we need to wear, if all you want to do is go into battle and take a beating…then you’re ready. If you would like to fight back then I’ll see you Tuesday morning.
In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4
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