Messiah, 210

~ Messiah Would Wear the Helmet of Salvation ~

“Search the Scriptures—they testify of Me.”

— Jesus Christ (John 5:39)

The Scripture

“He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him.  For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak” (Isaiah 59:16-17).

The Messiah  

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27).  Christians are told, “Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).

~~~ EXPLANATORY “MESSIAH” NOTES ~~~   

(1)  Each Saturday ALN posts an example of a Hebrew Scriptures prophecy (or foreshadowing) related to the coming Messiah which was fulfilled in the birth, life, death, or resurrection of Jesus Christ.

(2)  While extensive it will not be a complete list—there are hundreds of prophecies of the coming Messiah which have been fulfilled by one man—Jesus Christ at His First Coming.

(3)  It is important that there are many more prophecies of the Messiah, yet unfulfilled, which Christians believe will be fulfilled at the time of His Second Coming.  A particularly relevant Scripture verse in this regard is: “Do not despise prophesies” (1 Thessalonians 5:20).

(4)  These posts will typically consist only of Scripture—which speaks for itself.  Sometimes italicized or bold font will be used by ALN for emphasis.

(5)  The numbering of these fulfilled prophecies of the Messiah is used to differentiate individual posts. It is not chronological (either by time of the prophecy or by sequence in the life of the Messiah).  The posting sequence will, for the most part, be in the order that the prophecies appear in Scripture.

(6)  Because of the chosen methodology (#5 above) we will find many specific prophecies repeated multiple times throughout the Scriptures.

(7)  These serial posts are in addition to our regular Tuesday ALN postings on random topics.

(8)  Subscription to ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog is simple—just use the link on the left sidebar.  Once subscribed you will not miss future posts.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Our Whole Armor, 6of9

~ Helmet of Salvation ~

“And take the helmet of salvation” (Ephesians 6:17a). 

The primary function of any helmet is to protect the head.  The Christian warrior must protect his thinking. 

“Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free’” (John 8:31-32). Protection of the head is not only important physically but of crucial importance mentally. 

We are to study our model—Jesus Christ—who is “The Way, The Truth, and The Life” (John 14:6).  “For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head” (Isaiah 59:17).  We are to learn Christ who is Truth and defend and model the truth (2 Corinthians 10:5). 

Our adversary, Satan, is sneaky in the area of our thinking.  He wants our thoughts to drift just a little from the truth.  Once a minor deviation occurs, the path is downward unless we deliberately take control of our minds.  That is why we are told, “Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

We cannot survive this war without protecting our heads.  The helmet of salvation provides security.  Salvation is a big term which includes the past (I was saved by accepting Christ as Savior), the present (I am being saved), and the future (I will be saved for eternity).  The only way to successfully win the battles of the present is by committing ourselves to regular time in the Word of God, prayer, and submitting our wills to His will.  This all begins and is maintained in the head which will be protected by the helmet of salvation if we regularly put it on. 

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5, niv). 

don’t miss this  ~  (1)  Wars, while often thought of as physical, are usually won by superior thinking.   The greatest battle field in Biblical times and now is in the mind.  Our task is to think like Christ would think.  Ask yourself constantly, “What would Christ think in this situation?”  (2) The key purpose of a helmet is to protect your head—your thinking.  We are to become more and more like our Savior until we think like He thinks.  “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).  

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

If you found this post personally interesting or helpful, you are welcome to add a link to it on your own blog or website. 

If you would prefer to copy this post, please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight (http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/).