“And take the
helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the
word of God” (Ephesians 6:17)
During our recent trip to the Western
Caribbean, we visited George Town, on Grand Cayman Island, and
were introduced to an interesting kind of diving helmet. This
was not snorkeling, and it was not scuba diving – it was something
else entirely. After a boat trip of a mile or so out into the
sea from Grand Cayman, each of us, one-at-a-time, were given
white diving helmets. Miguel, who was assisting us from the
diving raft, told us, “Step onto the ladder
and work your way down until your head is just out of the water.
Then wait, and I will put the helmet onto your head.”
When it was going to be my turn, I asked him, “How
much does it weigh?” pointing at the diving helmet. “Seventy-five
pounds,” he responded – “Would
you like to lift it?” “Yes, I would,”
I answered, but noticed that it took me two hands to lift what
he could lift with one.
When I was in the water, and as previously
agreed, Miguel and I signaled each other “OK,”
thumb and index finger together, as my helmet and head disappeared
under the water. He and another man had instructed us to “Clear
your ears on each step you take, and STOP on each rung of the
ladder! Don’t take another step until you have given an ‘OK’
to the diver who will accompany you on your descent!”
I did what they said, taking a step, thrusting my chin forward
to clear my ears, and when they were cleared, signaled an “OK”
to the diver. And then, my bare feet were actually on the bottom,
thirty feet below the surface of the sea. Genevieve, my wife,
was already there – we smiled through our face plates and then
commenced the program our instructors had in store for us.
A path had been cleared for us to walk
upon, and we did, through openings between large reefs of coral.
Amazing fish with a variety of colors were everywhere, drawn
by the “chum” (food) being scattered by our instructors. We
played with a rocket-shaped toy, tossing it back-and-forth as
we learned to walk in our new environment without falling down.
We recently had visited the Long Beach Aquarium in California
and the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi, but it was nothing
like this. We were IN the aquarium – with the fish. I don’t
know how long we were actually down there, but it seemed like
a long time. Finally, the diver who was with us swam into our
midst, pointing first upward and then back at the metal ladder.
We looked up and saw a good-sized barracuda, about ten feet
up and a little to the north. The diver’s meaning was clear:
we were to get UP that ladder – soon!
Our relationship with this world is
very much like the helmets we wore at Grand Cayman. Initially,
we are very much a part of everything on this earth, but when
we receive Christ, everything changes. We are suddenly citizens
of another place entirely; aliens to the world that was formerly
our home. In Ephesians 6:20, within the context of our verse
for today, Paul spoke of himself as an “ambassador,”
sent to the people of another country. The concept is revealed
more fully in the Book of 2nd Corinthians Chapter 5: “We
are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through
us; we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God”
(2 Corinthians 5:20). God, in and through Christ, has lifted
us out of this world and not only made us become citizens of
another place, a place we have not yet seen with our eyes, but
He has also appointed us to the office of King’s Ambassador
to this world. And He EQUIPS us for service to our King – our
verse for today includes the concept that we are given “the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” – the
Bible. It takes FAITH to put on the “helmet”
and enter this kingdom, and “faith comes
by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17).
It all starts in our Scripture verse
for today: We are to take “the helmet
of salvation” and be changed by the Lord from one kind
of person into another. First we accept Him and then we are
changed. Our affiliation in life is no longer merely of this
world – we are part of the Kingdom of God. You can see that
clearly in 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “If anyone
is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away,
behold, all things have become new.” Our old life becomes
as alien to us as that ocean floor we walked on in Grand Cayman.
Each of our helmets in that place had an air hose attached to
it; a line connecting us to life. Air, which was described as
“three times the normal pressure experienced
at sea level,” was pumped down to us through that line,
and it was described as “cooled”
to a temperature low enough for us to be comfortable. Actually,
if that line was blocked, we might have died. With the line
and the relatively cool air it provided, we were able to live!
Jesus Christ is our Lifeline. He IS
our “helmet of salvation,” as it
says in Ephesians 6:17. You can see, in visual form, what happens
to us in Christ, by studying the ritual known as “baptism.”
Drinking water is necessary for life, but we can’t breathe the
water we drink. That which gives us life in one context is a
sentence of death in another. In baptism, we are taken under
the water, a picture of “death,”
because we cannot live unaided under it. And then we are drawn
up out of the water, a picture of new life. We die to this world
and come alive in another. The Holy Spirit of God, through the
Apostle Paul, paints this picture clearly in Romans 6:4 – “We
were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as
Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Your
life WILL be changed; when you are in Christ.
There was sunshine on the Island of
Grand Cayman. It was moderately dark, down under the sea. We
could breathe naturally on the island, but we needed outside
assistance to live under the water. When we saw the barracuda,
it was a reminder that we are not physically equipped to defend
ourselves in such a place. We didn’t even see the danger until
it was pointed out to us. When you have received Jesus Christ,
who is your “helmet of salvation,”
you are raised up out of the darkness of this earth. He IS our
breath of life and we can “breathe” the sweet “air” of eternity
through Him. We are SAFE because of Him. We are “raised
up together,” and a part of us is already “in
the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6).
You have LIFE because of our Lord, and though you are still
in this dark and murky world for a time, your destiny is with
Him, and a part of you is already there, tied to Him by a “lifeline”
of His making. And until you are on the “shore” of eternity,
a place of safety forever, you are being watched over by those
assigned to protect you, including His angels, the Holy Spirit
of God, and the Lord Jesus Himself. Have you trusted in the
Lord Jesus? Do you WANT Him right now? He’s as close to you
as a prayer. Let’s pray together:
Dear Lord, You are our Lifeline,
our only hope. We trust in You now. Please raise us up to be
with You – forever. Thank You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
