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MISC BIBLE CHATS (no 6)

God’s Special Helmet - The Helmet of Salvation (Armour of God)

Ephesians 6 vs 10 - 18

Props: Hard hat, goggles, also need the following headgear or similar:
Crown
Cycle helmet
Sailor’s cap
Soldier’s headgear

Show four pieces of headgear to the kids, these could be as above or others.
(If you can’t beg or borrow suitable hats from people around you, use the PowerPoint provided or a mixture of what you can get hold of and pictures. Two of the pieces of headgear need to be protective in some way. Having some physical props you can hold is good.)

Chat for Kids

Today we’re talking about the Helmet of Salvation. Firstly, I have four pieces of headgear here. Can you tell me which two of these four pieces of headgear have something in common?
(These four pieces of headgear are on SLIDE 1 if you don’t have your own.)

YES! The cycle helmet and soldier’s headgear both protect us from things. Actually, they protect one of the most important parts of our body, our heads. What particular things do these three protect us from?
Cycle helmet – falling off and hitting head on floor, soldiers helmet – protects head from being struck by a sword or other weapon.

SLIDE 2
Look at this picture, where are these guys and what are the helmets protecting them from?
SLIDE 3
Yes they’re in a cave and the helmets protect them from banging their heads on the rocky walls.
SLIDE 4
And what have this pair been doing, and why are their helmets so important?
SLIDE 5
Yes they’ve been out on a motor scooter. 

So these pieces of headgear are intended to protect our heads from physical injury. They are intended to keep us safe. People need to protect their heads and faces from injury by wearing the right headgear. And in your life as you grow older you may do things in work or out on adventure, or sport when you must protect your head against injury. Always wear the right headgear.

So what’s this Helmet of Salvation all about?

What does Salvation mean? 

Salvation is being saved or rescued from things that would harm us. So if I bumped my head in a cave and this hard hat saved me from injury (show the kids your hard hat if you’ve been able to get one) this hard hat would have been my salvation. It saved me from the piece of rock.
If I was working with metal and something flew into my face but was stopped by these goggles, (show the kids your goggles or protective glasses if you have some) they would have saved me from injury, they would have been my salvation.

So the Helmet of Salvation is a metaphor for God’s protection over our lives. Just like the hard hat and goggles, the Helmet of Salvation also saves us from things that would harm us, but not things like rock or metal. God’s Helmet of Salvation saves us from all sorts of wrong things that can damage our lives.
What kind of things can spoil life? Well - lying, cheating, stealing, watching things we shouldn’t, hitting someone, being spiteful, name calling, bad language. All of these things don’t do us any good.

There’s REALLY GREAT NEWS ! Jesus loves us so much He came to forgive and take away all of the rubbish things we do, the stuff we’ve done wrong, things that make us feel bad, things that spoil our lives and other people’s lives too. Jesus came to take all of that stuff out of our lives and when we ask for His forgiveness. He gives us His special gift of salvation and it’s just as if we’re putting on this special helmet that not only says “Jesus has forgiven me” but also “Jesus is with me’ to help me live for Him and to protect my mind from things that would try and spoil my life.    

We’ll never be perfect, and we’ll make mistakes and get things wrong, but the salvation that Jesus gives us will help us each day to live life the way Jesus intended, loving Jesus and loving other people too.     

Oh and by the way. There’s something else very important that Jesus’ special covering over our lives does. It lasts forever. When Jesus takes away our wrong, and comes into our lives, its forever. Today, tomorrow, next year, ten years time, 50 years time and even when we die, we’ll go on living with Him forever. Now that’s good news isn’t it.

Response Time:

Prep for response time:
Print off and cut up the letters for item 1 below (‘Helmet of Salvation’)
(Download letters from bottom of this page)
Print off blank sheet for the kids to fill in Romans 6 v 23 relative to question 5.
(Download blank sheet Romans 6 v 23 from the bottom of this page)       

1. How quickly can your group sort out what the mixed up letters need to say and arrange them in order to read ‘Helmet of Salvation.’
(If the kids are struggling point out that the capitol letters are the beginning of words – Helmet of Salvation)   

2. Ask someone to explain what Salvation means.

3. See if the kids know what sin is (all the wrong stuff we do).

4. Who can forgive us of our sin? He is our Salvation (JESUS)

5. Get the kids to fill in the blanks see if they can work out what the phrase from the Bible says.
 ‘God's gift is eternal life given by Jesus Christ our Lord.’ (Romans 6 v 23)
Reaffirm to the kids that when we become a follower of Jesus it is both now and forever.

DOWNLOADS

Leaders’ Notes
Bible Chat PowerPoint
‘Helmet of Salvation’ Alphabet Letters for Response Time
Romans 6 v 26 Blank Sheet