The doctrine of salvation is presented as a complete work of God, encompassing past, present, and future aspects, entirely dependent on Christ's finished work. The sermon emphasizes that believers are saved by Christ's death, are being saved by His present intercessory ministry in heaven as their great high priest and advocate, and will ultimately be saved when Christ returns to redeem their bodies. This salvation is not earned but is a gift from God, providing deliverance from sin, the world, the flesh, and the devil, and is symbolized by the "helmet of salvation" which offers assurance and protection against spiritual attack. The message concludes with an urgent call for the unsaved to accept this great salvation and for believers to actively wear the helmet of salvation, recognizing its protective power and the assurance it brings.
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Shall we consider the second aspect of God's great salvation, as he teaches it in his own glory? Holy Word. Teaching the believer that he or she can say, Not only that I have been saved, but that I am being saved. This is the present aspect of salvation. It gives the assurance that the Lord... keeps the one who has trusted Christ as is in her Savior, saved and saved. For if salvation is of the Lord from start to finish, surely there must be some way that God can keep the believer in Christ saved forever.
To this blessed fact, it is unfortunate we find many disagreeing with us concerning salvation. Many insist that it is the responsibility of the believer to keep himself or to keep herself. May I again remind you of the illustration of Jonah? When God delivered and saved Jonah from his great dilemma, he delivered him by his own command to the fish on dry land. There was no effort upon Jonah's path on that journey. from the bowels and the depths of the sea.
For when he declares, salvation is of the Lord, meaning if anyone is going to save me, the Lord must do it. He had no way of believing and knowing how. He could reach the dry land from the place where he was. My beloved, neither do you and I have any knowledge. How we, poor duty, how deserving sinners on the earth below, steeped in sin. can ever land in eternal glory. It's a divine miracle from the beginning to the end. But we go to read another scripture in Romans chapter five, verses nine and ten, where the Spirit of God writes to say to us, much more, being justified by his blood, that is the blood of Christ, our Savior, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
For if when we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. It is good to notice in these verses the expression twice recorded, much more. For what the Lord indicates is that having found salvation through the death of Christ his Son, There is much more to know about this great doctrine. I have been saved, confessors the Christian, by the death of Christ upon the cross. I have been reconciled to God, as our tenth verse of Romans five declares.
But God goes on to say, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. Please note the emphasis following, having been reconciled by the death of Christ, we are now told of being saved by his life. This last expression is a reference not to our Lord's earthly life, but to his present life in heaven above, since his exaltation to the right hand of God following his resurrection. and his attention.
The salvation that God gives to the believer is maintained by Christ's priestly ministry, which is unceasingly conducted by him in the presence of God above and in a free, full manner. First, Christ ministers in heaven above to keep the believers saved. and safe because he is our great intercessor at the throne of God. May I repeat, to keep the believers saved and saved, Christ is our great intercessor in heaven above.
Hebrews chapter seven and verse twenty-five declares these words concerning Christ. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost to the very end that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. My beloved friend, there is a continual ministry of intercession before God being done by Christ for the safety of his believing children. The detailed substance of the intercession can be studied in the Savior's great prayer, as you can read it in John's Gospel chapter seventeen.
We would note carefully part of the petition that he makes him that prayer for his redeemed children. In verse nine we hear the Savior praying to the Father and say, I pray for them. I pray not for the world. In verse eleven we hear the Savior saying, Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me. In verse fifteen we hear the Savior again saying in prayer, I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from evil. And again in verse twenty-four the Savior we hear saying, Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me.
Be with me, will I am. My beloved friend, briefly, the Lord Jesus Christ prays for the preservation and the ultimate glorification of every sinner who has believed upon him. I challenge you and I dare anyone. to suggest that his prayers would be unanswered. Never will they be unanswered. He is our great intercessor before the Father in heaven above. But then second, to keep the believers saved in faith, he is also our great high priest in heaven.
In the second chapter of the book of Hebrews, verse seventeen and eighteen, we are told that he is a merciful and a faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, in that he himself has suffered being tempted or tested. He is able to deliver them that are tempted. Take the two words in, merciful and faithful high priest. merciful to his children, faithful in his ministry to the Father, as the high priest of his own. But again we read in Hebrews chapter four, and in verses fourteen through sixteen, we are told that he is a great high priest for us in heaven.
And concerning him it is said, he is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, meaning our weaknesses. and we are encouraged to come boldly under the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. My beloved friend, the Lord Jesus in heaven above us, our great high priest, provides the help that every believer needs upon the earth. It can be obtained from him above us. by simply coming to the throne of grace in prayer and asking and seeking for it.
Praise his holy name. And third, to keep the believer saved and saved, he is our great advocate in heaven also. In the first epistle of John chapter two, verses one and two, we have these words written by the Apostle John. My dear children, meaning only the children of God, These things write we unto you that you sin not. But if any man sinned, we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our sins.
My beloved, let me plainly, bluntly, emphatically declare the context of these words as to do only with the sins of a believer. in their direct application. For in wondrous grace God provides for the sins of a believer the advocacy of Christ with his Father in order to maintain the relationship of his child to the Father above unceasingly. Note that even the unfortunate sin of any believer can sever cannot sever, rather, the relationship of that child with its father or her father.
Yes, the devil will readily accuse the sinning believer at the throne of God, for the devil is the accuser of our brethren, according to Romans twelve and verse ten. But there at the throne of God there is a faithful, and there is a competent advocate pleading his atoning work of propitiation, before his Father, the moment that believer has sinned. He is called in our verse Jesus Christ, the righteous. Why is he able to so plead for us? Have you not read, as we find it in first John, one and verse seven?
It is the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son. that cleanseth us from all sin. Please take in the meaning and the fulfillment of that little three-letter word in its complete essence, all sin. The past, the present, and even the future sins of the believing sinner come judicially under the power and the cleansing efficacy of his precious blood continually. Thank God sin in a believer's life is taken care of by the Savior in heaven above, when unfortunately it may happen.
Now we must, and we do confess, that sin in a believer's life will affect his and her fellowship, communion with the Father, that can never sever the relationship. According to first John one and verse nine, when a believer sins, confession of our sins as believers, we will be cleansed from the defilement and restored to the communion and fellowship with God the Father again. May I point out some precious truths regarding what is the opposite meaning to the word salvation. Opposite to salvation is danger or some peril.
When I trust the Lord Jesus Christ and his atoning death on the cross for my salvation, I am saved from the great danger of eternal hell. I receive everlasting life, according to John three sixteen, and I shall not perish. What a great deliverance that is. But listen, though I have trusted Christ, While I am in this world, I still am in danger. I'm not in danger from eternal judgment, thank God. But whilst traveling through the earth, I've got three great enemies. I have three chief dangers that I face. There is the danger I face from the world, which is controlled by the prince of this world.
For the world is a place of opposition to the Christian. The world is a place of tribulation and trouble. The world is a snare to a believer. The world is a danger. Second, I have another danger. It is my flesh. My natural man. God saves my soul and gives me a new nature within me when I trust the Savior. But just as long as I am in this present body, I carry my flesh with its propensity to sin. For Paul well stated, I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.
According to Romans seven and verse eighteen, my flesh is a danger. My flesh, the motions of sin in my earthly body, consist of a being of peril that I need deliverance from. And then third, the devil himself is a great danger to me. But are we not enjoined by Peter saying, Be sober, be vigilant? Because your adversary the devil is a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. First Peter chapter five, eight and nine. And here you find a threefold danger. A danger from the world, a danger from the flesh, and the danger of the devil.
And I need salvation. meaning deliverance from these dangers even after I trusted Christ. These dangers have all been remembered by God and provided for in His great salvation. And the believer can say, I am being sane. Now why? First, because of the intercession of my great intercessor, the prayers of the Lord Jesus Christ that keep me sane. Second, because of Christ being my great high grief to help me in every time of trouble and need.
Third, because of the unfailing advocacy of Christ, he is my advocate who represents me before his Father in heaven above. So that his great unceasing and effective work in the presence of God in heaven assures me that his words are true. when it said to those who belong to him, I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. John ten and verse twenty-eight. How then could I ever lose a life that he has given when that life is eternal?
For hallelujah he keeps as he declares to his father, those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost. John chapter seventeen and verse eleven. What a salvation! I do not keep myself saved. I never could. I would fail. The moment I would sin, whether in thought, whether indeed, whether intentionally, whether by omission or commission, I could never keep myself saved. God forbid that I shall try. But I can trust, and I do trust, the one who keeps me, by his ministry in heaven above.
What a salvation I can yet save, and being saved. But in the final consideration, I shall be saved. What about my future, the future aspect of God's salvation? God's salvation not only must assure me of my past being taken care of, not assure me of my only of my present, but also of my future. I'm not yet in the glory. In Romans chapter eight, verses twenty-three and twenty-four, we have the futures aspect of salvation referred to. In contrast to the present circumstances, And the Spirit of God has written, concerning the believers, listen to the words, We ourselves also, which have the first fruit of the Spirit, even we ourselves, groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, that is, the redemption of our body.
For we are saved by hope, writes the Apostle. As a believer in the Lord Jesus, I confess that I'm not yet completed in the fullness of God's purposes in regard to my salvation. God's salvation provides a future for my body. God's salvation provides a redeemed and a glorified body, and this is not yet mine. Yes, I know that I've been saved by the death of Christ. I know that I'm being saved by the life of Christ in heaven above.
But here in Romans eight twenty-four we read we are saved by hope. Does this mean I hope I'm saved? Not at all. I know I'm saved. But this expression, saved by hope, refers to the hope before me, the redemption of my body, not the redemption of my soul. I have that. But when? Can I expect to receive this future aspect of salvation? It is when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again. This guarantees that my salvation will be finally and eternally completed.
God will finish it. Again we repeat the words. Did he not say, He that has begun a good work in you will finish it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians one says, When is that day to be? Beloved, it is when Christ comes again. The believer is to be looking for Christ to return. Listen to the Spirit of God writing these wonderful words in Philippians chapter three, verses twenty and twenty-one. God writes to say, For our conversation, literally it means our citizenship is in heaven.
My beloved, if you're saved, if you're a Christian, that's where you belong. God has made you a citizen of heaven. But very frankly, you may be a citizen of heaven, and I'm a citizen of heaven. But we're not living in that blessed place to which we belong yet. But our conversation of citizenship is in heaven. And no, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Who shall change our vile body, better translated, our present body of humiliation, that it may be fashioned like unto his own glorious body? What a promise, a body like the glorious, resurrected, glorified body of the Son of Man in heaven above, my Savior.
Has not John the Apostle written of this same blessed hope? In his first epistle of John chapter three? verses two and three to say, Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure. This is the consummation of the believer's salvation. I shall be in a new body like Christ.
This is God's ultimate work of salvation, the redemption of our body, my beloved friend. Oh, what a truth. Please let us recapitulate the precious truth of salvation as God has revealed it through His Word. It is a work that is done entirely by God on the behalf of a poor, held deserving sinner who places his or her faith. in the finished work of Christ upon the cross, whereby God bestows upon that sinner who believes on his Son eternal life now, with the assurance that he will bring that believing sinner into his eternal glory.
What a great salvation this is. My beloved friend, is it yours? Listen to the words of Ephesians six, seventeen again. Take the helmet of salvation. Take its sinner. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, according to Romans six twenty-three. Take this gift, my sinner friend, and thank the great eternal giver, who through the death of his Son has provided it without money and without Christ, but at the infinite cost of the death of the Son of God.
And my fellow believer, take the helmet of salvation and put it on and wear it. Wear it and stand against all the wilds of the devil. It will protect you. It will give you the assurance to be able to say, I know, I know that I'm saved. For salvation is of the Lord. And the great doctrine of salvation enables a believer to say, when gratefully understanding it, I've been saved. my past is under the death of Christ. By Christ's death on the cross I've been saved. I am being saved. And that by Christ's present life in heaven above, my great intercessor, my great high priest, my great advocate.
And last, I shall yet be saved. And that by Christ's coming again, returning to bring me to himself, and take me to the heavens above. For he said, If I go away, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be also. Beloved, shall we not say very plainly, what a great and what a perfect salvation, all provided by God alone, through the death, the burial, the resurrection, and the ascension, and the present glorified ministry of the Son of God, and by His coming again.
May I bring a closing word, a word of warning and admonition, particularly for any friend who is not yet saved. We quote the solemn words of Hebrews chapter two and verse three, writing by the Holy Spirit the Apostle has written, How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? My beloved sinner friend, take very earnest heed to these words. This salvation God has provided through his beloved Son is spoken of here as being so great. But also, God declares in these words, To neglect this salvation is so easy.
If you neglect to accept this salvation, it will be to your eternal sorrow. And to neglect to accept it is so very easy. There are many that say to themselves, I determined to get saved before I'll die. Beloved, don't wait. Make sure of it even now. For to reject this and to be found in the day of judgment, unsaved will be to your sorrow. But listen to the truth. Escape from the eternal consequences of judgment is impossible. Let me repeat the facts again.
The salvation is so great. The neglect on your part can be so easy. But escape from hell. is absolutely impossible. Will you not do what the Psalm is declared? When in Psalm chapter one hundred and sixteen verses twelve and thirteen he declared saying, What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. Oh my beloved, there's only one thing you should do. After all the benefit of salvation that God has provided through His Son for you, not merely for time, but for all eternity, will you not say, I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord.
My beloved, the doctrine of salvation as we have covered it, surely we must confess what a great doctrine it is. And why should I understand it? Let me repeat the three reasons as we close. My own precious soul needs salvation. Your precious soul, my friend, needs salvation. The greatest need any man, woman, boy, and girl have. Second, it is the one message that God gives every child of him to tell others. He wants his children to understand it and be able to tell it. It is the one great doctrine that tells all mankind the love of God.
God loves them. A world of sinners lost. Then may all of us take the helmet of salvation. Salvation, salvation, that's full and free, through the precious blood of the Son of God, who was slain on Calvary. Shall we pray? Blessed Father. It has been a deep and an abiding joy to speak from thy precious word, and seek by thy grace and the help of the Holy Spirit to unfold in detail and blessed assurance the meaning of salvation from thy blessed word.
May the Holy Spirit anoint the eyes of thy dear children to take in him and illuminate their hearts and minds. so they may recognize and joyfully confess, I am wearing the helmet of salvation. For the dear poor sinner that is yet out of Christ, we pray, may he hear the words, and from the message he may have listened to, may he even now say, I will take the helmet of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. For we ask it in our Savior's name and for his glory. Amen.