Downloadable Resources
Scripture
Reflections
Note: We do not have Pastor Josh Lillyâs devotional questions at the time of this upload. The questions below have been prepared to follow the pattern of the series based on the sermon content.
Sermon: When Arrows Fly â Helmets Up!
Text: Ephesians 6:17
âand take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.â
â Ephesians 6:17
Day 1 â Receiving the Helmet of Salvation
Read: Ephesians 6:17; Ephesians 2:8â9; Titus 3:5â7
1. What does it mean that the verb âtakeâ in Ephesians 6:17 is an aorist imperative that literally means âreceive readilyâ?
2. Why must we first receive the grace of God before we can stand in the assurance the helmet provides?
3. How does the David and Goliath story illustrate the difference between the helmet of the worldâs power and the helmet of salvation?
4. Where are you tempted to trust your own strength, accomplishments, or status instead of receiving Christâs finished work?
5. What practical step can you take today to more intentionally âreceiveâ and put on the helmet of salvation by faith?
Prayer: Lord, I receive Your grace today. Thank You that salvation is a gift I could never earn. Help me to rest in what Christ has
done rather than striving in my own strength or the worldâs power.
Day 2 â The Helmet of the Worldâs Power
Read: 1 Samuel 17:1â11, 38â40; Isaiah 59:17
1. What does Goliathâs massive armor and helmet represent about the power and confidence the world offers?
2. Why does the âhelmet of the worldâs powerâ ultimately fail when we stand before a holy God?
3. In what ways do people today try to wear a âGoliath helmetâ â money, influence, reputation, or strength â to feel secure?
4. How does Davidâs refusal of Saulâs armor point us to a different source of confidence?
5. What worldly source of confidence do you need to lay down so you can receive the helmet of salvation instead?
Prayer: Father, expose every false helmet I have trusted. Strip me of confidence in the worldâs power and help me stand only in
the salvation You have provided through Jesus.
Day 3 â The Helmet of Fleshly Strength
Read: 1 Samuel 17:32â40; Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:20â28
1. Why was Saulâs bronze helmet and armor ultimately useless for the battle against Goliath?
2. What does it mean that âthe only thing you added to your salvation was the sin that made it necessaryâ?
3. How do our own good works and religious efforts become like âfilthy ragsâ when we try to stand before God in them?
4. Where in your Christian life are you tempted to rely on your own discipline, service, or morality as your helmet?
5. How does wearing the helmet of salvation change us from striving *toward* righteousness to living *from* the righteousness Christ has already given?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I renounce every attempt to earn or maintain my standing with You by my own strength. Clothe me afresh with Your perfect righteousness and teach me to fight from rest.
Day 4 â Assurance with God: He Is For Us
Read: Romans 8:1, 31â39; Ephesians 1:13â14
1. How does the enemy aim for the head by trying to steal our assurance that God is for us?
2. What does it mean that God makes His enemies into friends through the cross of Christ?
3. When hard circumstances come, how can we keep from interpreting them as proof that God is against us?
4. Are you living in any area as though God is still against you? What gospel truth counters that lie?5. How can you practically remind yourself throughout the day that âGod is for meâ because of Jesus?
Prayer: Father, thank You that You are for me, not against me. When the enemy whispers that You are distant or angry, help me to rest in the finished work of Jesus and the love You have poured out on Your children.
Day 5 â Assurance Inward: A New Creation
Read: 2 Corinthians 5:17, 21; Romans 8:1
1. What is the difference between living as though your identity is still âsinnerâ versus believing you are now a âsaintâ in Christ?
2. How does the helmet of salvation protect our minds from the enemyâs accusations of guilt and ongoing shame?
3. Why is it crucial to understand that we now work *from* holiness rather than *toward* it?
4. In what ways does the enemy try to make you live as if your old identity and failures are still defining you?
5. What specific truth about your new identity in Christ (justified, holy, righteous, new creation) do you need to believe more deeply this week?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You that I am a new creation. Help me to see myself the way You see me â holy and justified in Your righteousness â and to live out of that identity by the power of Your Spirit.
Day 6 â Assurance Outward: Secure to Love
Read: Matthew 5:43â48; 1 John 4:19; Ephesians 6:12
1. How does resting in the helmet of salvation give us the security we need to love people who are difficult or even hostile toward us?
2. Why does the enemy want us to hate our enemies or hold onto bitterness and grudges?
3. What does it look like to be âsecure enoughâ in Christ to pray for and do good to those who oppose us?
4. Is there someone in your life right now you find it especially hard to love? How can the truth of your salvation help you respond like Jesus?
5. How can our church or small group grow in being a people who are so secure in Christ that we love sacrificially even when it is costly?
Prayer: Lord, because I am secure in Your love, give me the courage to love those who do not love me. Make me more like Jesus, who loved His enemies even to the point of death on the cross.
Day 7 â Remembering Glory: The Hope of Our Inheritance
Read: 1 Thessalonians 5:8; Ephesians 1:13â14; Romans 8:29â30
1. How does attaching âthe hope of salvationâ to the helmet (1 Thess 5:8) protect our minds in the middle of battle?
2. What is the âgolden chain of redemptionâ in Romans 8:29â30 and how does it give us unshakeable confidence in our future?
3. Why is it spiritually dangerous to define ourselves by our current circumstances (good or bad) instead of by the glory that awaits us?
4. How can remembering our guaranteed inheritance and future glorification help us endure present suffering, temptation, or weariness?
5. What specific promise of future glory or inheritance do you need to hold onto and rehearse this week?
Prayer: Lord, fix my eyes on the glory that awaits me. When trials and circumstances cloud my vision, remind me that my inheritance is guaranteed by the Holy Spirit and that You will bring me safely to it. Come, Lord Jesus.
Family or Group Discussion
1. Which aspect of wearing the helmet of salvation do you most need to grow in right now: receiving grace, resting in assurance (with God, in your identity, or with others), or remembering glory?
2. How does the helmet of salvation protect our minds from the specific lies and flaming darts the enemy uses against us?
3. How can our family or group help one another âkeep the helmet onâ when someone is struggling with doubt, shame, or hopelessness?
4. Who needs encouragement from you this week to receive grace, rest in their identity in Christ, or fix their eyes on the glory to come?
Weekly Practice
Receive grace.
Rest in assurance.
Remember glory.
In all circumstances â helmets up.