What does it mean to put on the Helmet Of Salvation, and how do we do it?  This bible study attempts to tackle that issue and looking at John 3, including the famous John 3:16 passage:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

In this scripture, Jesus is talking to Nicodemus (a member of the Jewish ruling council).  Nicodemus came to Jesus in private, for he saw that he was a teacher that had come from God.  Jesus further explained what being born again meant, as follows from verse 5:

Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

There’s also a fantastic scripture for how we can understand our salvation at the end of Romans 8, which we can consider in the questions:

³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶ As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future,nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Questions

1. Why a helmet?
2. Describe Nicodemus.  What did he have, and what was he lacking?
3. Verse 18-21  What’s the difference between the believer and the unbeliever, as this passage puts it?
4. Bonus Round: Romans 8:31-39.  How can we keep our helmet of salvation on?

Ephesians 6:15 says: “Stand firm with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace”.  The bible stresses the importance of being ready, over a range of topics.  For this study, we’ll look at it from two perspectives:  Readiness from attacks, and Readiness to preach the Gospel.  Here are the passages for the study.

The first passage is when Jesus was tempted in the desert.  Matthew 4:1-11:

4 Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the Devil. ² After spending forty days and nights without food, Jesus was hungry. ³ Then the Devil came to him and said, “If you are God’s Son, order these stones to turn into bread.”

⁴ But Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Human beings cannot live on bread alone, but need every word that God speaks.’”

⁵ Then the Devil took Jesus to Jerusalem, the Holy City, set him on the highest point of the Temple, ⁶ and said to him, “If you are God’s Son, throw yourself down, for the scripture says,

‘God will give orders to his angels about you;
they will hold you up with their hands,
so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.’”

⁷ Jesus answered, “But the scripture also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

⁸ Then the Devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in all their greatness. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” the Devil said, “if you kneel down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Then Jesus answered, “Go away, Satan! The scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!’”

¹¹ Then the Devil left Jesus; and angels came and helped him.

John 4:7-29 (The parable of the woman at the well):

The Breastplate Of Righteousness is an important element of our spiritual armour.  In fact, King Ahab, an unrighteous king of Israel, killed in battle by taking an arrow to the breastplate (between the scale armour – 1 Kings 22:34). Let’s look at the story of Lot as an example – a man rescued from Sodom along with his family.  God destroyed Sodom because of its unrighteousness, but provided an escape for Lot.  The main story is from Genesis 18:20-19:22.

²⁰ Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous ²¹ that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”

²² The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. ²³ Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ²⁴ What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? ²⁵ Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

²⁶ The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

²⁷ Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, ²⁸ what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”

“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

²⁹ Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

³⁰ Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”

He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

³¹ Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

³² Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”

³³ When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left,and Abraham returned home.

19 The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lotwas sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. ² “My lords,” he said, “please turn aside to your servant’s house. You can wash your feet and spend the night and then go on your way early in the morning.”

“No,” they answered, “we will spend the night in the square.”

³ But he insisted so strongly that they did go with him and entered his house. He prepared a meal for them, baking bread without yeast, and they ate. ⁴ Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. ⁵ They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”

⁶ Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him⁷ and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. ⁸ Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”

⁹ “Get out of our way,” they replied. “This fellow came here as a foreigner, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.

¹⁰ But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. ¹¹ Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door.

¹² The two men said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here—sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, ¹³ because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”

¹⁴ So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, “Hurry and get out of this place, because the Lord is about to destroy the city!” But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

¹⁵ With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.”

¹⁶ When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. ¹⁷ As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives!Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”

¹⁸ But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, please! ¹⁹ Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. ²⁰ Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.”

²¹ He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. ²² But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoar.)

Questions:

Genesis 18:20-33.  What can we say of God’s character in this story?  How does God handle the righteous when they’re mixed in with unrighteous?

Genesis 19:1-11:  How does Lot’s righteousness shine through in this story, against the sins of Sodom?  (Ezekiel 16:49-50 summarises Sodom’s sins: proud, overfed, idle, didn’t care about the poor and needy, arrogant, did things God hated).

Genesis 19:12-22:  Describe Lot’s shortcomings in this passage (and the previous passage if you like).  How did God handle it?

Bonus Round: 1 Peter 2:18-25.  How can we put on the breastplate of righteousness?

Let’s kick off the Armour Of God with the first piece mentioned by Paul – the Belt of Truth (Ephesians 6:14). A belt has a few uses in battle.  In a way, it could be seen as an all-rounder; it protects whilst also enabling the soldier to move easily and freely.  The belt may also be used to sheath a sword, so it could be seen as a foundational piece of equipment.

In the Bible, it talks of the spiritual piece of armour – we can wrap God’s Truth around us in the same way, knowing our Lord is The Way, The Truth, The Life (John 14:6).  Let’s consider a few questions to help us understand how wearing the Belt Of Truth can aid our spiritual battle.

Questions

1. Can you think of any other ways a belt help a soldier in battle? How could this translate into our own spiritual battle?
2. John 8:37-47. How does God’s description of Satan oppose the Belt Of Truth? Why does he talk about a Father-Son relationship between Satan and the Pharisees?
3. Verse 34-36 What is the distinction Jesus made between ‘slave’ and ‘son’?
4. Bonus Round: John 8 31-33. What effect does God’s truth have on our lives, and how does it help our spiritual battle?

The topic of today’s study is ‘Iron Sharpens Iron’, based on a nifty bible verse – Proverbs 27:17:

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

It’s fascinating that, as Christians, we are sharpened just by being around other like-minded believers.  Some of the questions further down relate to on the early believers, at a time not too longer after Jesus had ascended to heaven – an amazing image of people looking after one another, no-one in need, praising God.  Many miracles, blessings, wonders; it was an amazing time of fellowship together.  Here are the two main passages:  Firstly, Acts 2:43-47:

⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

The second passage – another description of the way the earliest believers spent their time together:

³² All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.³³ With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all ³⁴ that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales ³⁵ and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

³⁶ Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), ³⁷ sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.

Questions:

1. Consider what possible things the word ‘Fellowship’ conjures up, e.g. church-stereotypes, perhaps the true meaning of what the bible says?
2. Comment on the way the early believers spent their time together in either of these passages: Acts 2:43-47 and Acts 4:32-36.
3. 1 Samuel 8:1-9.  Which is better: Mankind being in control, or God?  Why?
4. Acts 18:24-28.  How does ‘iron sharpening iron’ apply to this story?
5. Bonus Round: Matthew 18:20 says ‘For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.’  How does this tie in with the two greatest commandments (Love the Lord and Love your neighbour)?

This is a study of the parable of the workers in the Vineyard, and it’s in Matthew 20:1-16.  It centres around a land owner who hires workers at different times in the day, and at the end of the pays them all the same.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² He agreed to pay them a denariusfor the day and sent them into his vineyard.

³ “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. ⁴ He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ ⁵ So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. ⁶ About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

⁷ “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

⁸ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

⁹ “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. ¹⁰ So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.¹¹ When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.¹² ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heatof the day.’

¹³ “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. ¹⁵ Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

¹⁶ “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (NIV)

Questions:

1. Translate the parable by completing this list:
   • The Land Owner = The Lord
   • The workers =
   • The Vineyard =
   • The day =
   • The wages =
2. Ephesians 2:8-9.  Should people who work longer for God receive more? Explain why.
3. Isaiah 55:8-9.  Why does this model not fit the world’s view of things? What would happen if an employer paid their staff like this?
4. In which order did the Land Owner pay the Workers? What’s Jesus saying here?
5. Revelation 1:17.  Should we worry about who is the first or the last? Why?

Jesus says to receive the kingdom of God as a little child.  This of course, isn’t to act childish, as 1 Corinthians 13:11 puts it:

¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

So we’re called to enter like a little child.  Before starting the study, ask:  What does Jesus mean by ‘little child’?  What characteristics come to mind?  Jesus often talked in a way that all people may understand, and the image of a little child conjures up many characteristics e.g. humility, obedience etc.  Here are the passages to look at:

Mark 10:13-16

People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶ And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

 Matthew 18:1-9

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

² He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

⁶ “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. ⁷ Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! ⁸ If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

Philippians 2:1-18

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

¹² Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

¹⁴ Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky ¹⁶ as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. ¹⁷ But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. ¹⁸ So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Questions

1. Mark 10:13-16.  Why must we enter the kingdom of God like a little child?
2. Matthew 18:1-9.  Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
3. (Same Passage) Verse 5-6:  Name some ideas for how we could apply the passage ‘whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me’ in our own lives.
4. Philippians 2:1-18. Why is it good to be a child of God?

Bible Study Passage:  John 8:1-11, 2 Timothy 2:22-26, 1 Timothy 6:11-12.  Gentleness is a fruit of the spirit, and this week we’re digging a little deeper, by recalling a story of Jesus.  When confronted with another typical ‘catch 22’ situation by the Pharisees, Jesus dealt with the situation in a rather unusual way.  Seldom does he do the same thing twice, but in this particular passage (John 8:1-11), he is gentle with his accusers, and with the accused.  Here’s the excerpt of John 8:1-11:

¹ but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

² At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group⁴ and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.⁵ In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.Now what do you say?”⁶ They were using this question as a trap,in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.⁷ When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stoneat her.”⁸ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

⁹ At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.¹⁰ Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

¹¹ “No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,”Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Here are the other excerpts we’re to look at in the passage.  2 Timothy 2:22-26

²² Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³ Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. ²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. ²⁵ Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

And lastly, 1 Timothy 6:11-12:

¹¹ But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness,faith, love, endurance and gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Questions

1. 2 Timothy 2:22-26.  How can gentleness make a difference?
2. John 8:1-11.  How did Jesus handle the Pharisees?
3. (Same passage).  How did Jesus handle the woman?
4. Bonus Round: 1 Timothy 6:11-12:  The bible talks of gentleness then, immediately after, fighting the good fight.  Comment on why this might be?