Message summary: Today, and everyday, make sure to put on the "helmet of salvation" your spiritual hard hat.

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"Put on the helmet of salvation" (Ephesians 6:17)

I saw a friend this week and noticed he had a gash on his head with several stitches. Of course I was curious and he explained that last Saturday he had bumped his head on a piece of machinery. Ouch, many of us have done that, especially if you are taller. For Father's Day he got a memorable and practical gift from his grandchildren, a hard hat!

A hard hat is a type of helmet predominantly used in hazardous environments such as industrial or construction sites to protect the head from injury due to falling objects (such as tools and debris) and impact with other objects, like bumping your head on machinery.

My first job requiring a hard hat was at a concrete fabrication plant in Kansas where I worked two summers between my college years. Hats were color coded and I wore a green hat since I was in quality control. On a few occasions both Brooksyne and I have also worn hard hats at worksites. I regularly wore a hard hat at Weaber Lumber, a huge processing plant in Lebanon County where we wore white hats emblazoned, CHAPLAIN.

The problem is hard hats only work if you are wearing them and I don't wear a hard hat all the time. It would be nice to know ahead of time when I was going to bump my head on something since I would definitely put on my hard hat to soften the blow. But as you know life doesn't work that way.  It would be odd and socially clumsy to wear a hard hat all the time! Can you imagine walking into a church service wearing a hard hat?

But there is a hard hat we can wear all the time.

In Ephesians 6 Paul lists the armor of God and begins, "Put on the whole armor of God". Following is a list that many of us have memorized and seek to put into practice.

About twenty years ago I preached a message to the congregation at Victory Christian Center in Indianapolis. Prior to the service I met with Pastor Floyd, a friend of mine, for prayer and noticed his large sword and shield.  He explained that he keeps these in his office to remind him of the strength and encouragement we have in the Lord as we apply the armor of God. When Floyd faces discouragement (as do all pastors), these are visual reminders of God's armor that gives him renewed strength as he does battle with the enemy.

The armor of God, though composed of different pieces, is a "unit" and not one piece can be missing if we are to successfully wage spiritual warfare in His power and for His glory.

Today let us just focus on the helmet of salvation, our spiritual hard hat.

In sharing this helmet illustration Paul is likely recalling a verse from Isaiah 59:17 in a description of the Messiah, "He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head"  (Isaiah 59:17).

Just as a physical helmet protects a soldier's head, the "helmet of salvation" symbolizes the protection that comes from our confidence in God's salvation. Just as the helmet protected one of the most vital and vulnerable parts of the Roman soldier's body, salvation protects a believer's mind, his perspective and spiritual well-being.

Christians understand that regularly "putting on the helmet of salvation" reminds us that we are to trust in God's saving work, especially during times of doubt, disappointments, temptation, or hardship.

There is a rich exposition by many commentators regarding this piece of spiritual armor. See link below.

Years ago I attended the church that Steven Cole (now retired)  pastored in Flagstaff, Arizona. I have long appreciated his thoughtful exposition. He writes, 

Late Bible teacher Lehman Strauss challenges us,

Today, and everyday, be sure to put on the "helmet of salvation" your spiritual hard hat.

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13.

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber