Taking the Shield of Faith
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 2 viewsNotes
Transcript
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
Standing firm and being ready when under attack..
Focusing on verse 16:
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Series on the armor of God — Shield of Faith
He starts with “above all”.. not necessarily meaning that this next piece of the armor is the most important...
We see a transition.. other translations have this as, “in addition”
The first three pieces of the armor are those that we should always have on..
Soldier always have this on:
belt of truth
breastplate of righteousness
Shoes of Peace
The next three pieces of our armor are what are taken up when going to actual battle. We are facing the enemy head on.
Next three pieces of equipment for battle-readiness:
Shield of faith
Helmet of Salvation
Sword of the Spirit
Picture of the Roman shield in the Latin Scutum
Describe Shield:
The curve was created using three bonded layers of thin wooden strips. It is covered with linen or leather and painted according to legion. A bronze rim covered the edges for additional protection. It is built to protect the whole body.
Why the shield of faith?
The word used for faith here is not saving faith, it is living faith or faithfulness — living a life of faithfulness founded on trusting God and His Word.
What is the word of God to you today? Examples.
Meditating on His promises?
The word of God for me today:
27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?
“with which you will be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one”
Two kinds of shields in ancient warfare, a small shield for hand to hand combat and a large shield about 2 feet by 4 feet, that a soldier would fix to the ground to protect himself against the enemy’s spears, arrows, and fiery darts.
Let’s talk about the enemy’s darts for a moment..
Spear - used to disrupt the enemy’s ranks before engaging in close combat (talk)
Arrows - flaming arrow, these are arrows tipped with material that can be set on fire.. meant to ignite enemy equipment or defensive structures..
Notice that in this verse, the flaming arrow is aimed at the soldier himself.
Satan wants to set you on fire… how? with a burning desire to sin
We have to walk in faithfulness, otherwise, Satan will light a fire within us that will cause us to disobey God.
These darts come in the form of evil thoughts, sinful images, false teachings.
But we can quench the fiery darts — before it burns us --- upon contact with the shield of faith
In ancient warfare, soldiers will soak their shields in water, creating a damp barrier that will extinguish the flaming arrows upon contact.
IN the same manner, we should soak ourselves in the word of God.
Soaking in His Word.
The Word has a Sanctifying effect:
26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
God’s Word reflects His character, and since He is faithful, we know we fully trust His Word.
(Examples of battle songs)
14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
have enemies as a Christian?
4 for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’
39 For You have armed me with strength for the battle;
You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
47 Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM WHO LOVES US!
The shield of Faith
Faith is only as good as the object of our faith. Since our faith is on the Person of a faithful God — we can confidently say our faith is strong.
Our Faith is Strong because God is strong. We can live faithfully because the Lord is faithful.
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise. (examples)
The Lord Jesus has great promises, the greatest of which is this: BEHOLD I AM COMING SOON!
12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.
This should inspire us to live faithful lives.
Last application of the shield of faith.. (I shared this before)
Interlocking shields picture here..
In many ancient armies, soldiers would form a wall by standing close to one another and overlapping their shields. This formation created a solid barrier that was difficult for arrows to penetrate. Flaming arrows would hit the shields and either be deflected, absorbed, or extinguished by the shield material.
Notice that this picture is an advancing army — not meant to remain in one place of our journey together.
No one can live the Christian life alone. You are vulnerable when you separate yourself from community.
One of the fiery darts that the enemy throws at you are lies..
You are alone, and that no one is there to support you
your situation or problem is so shameful, that no one will accept you
When you are under attack, you cannot be alone, walking in the middle of nowhere, fully exposed to the enemy, isolated and vulnerable.
We have to be a united force against the enemy.
You are never alone here at crosswind, we got each other’s backs.
We have to uphold each other in prayer.
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
You are not alone.
Lock our arms in prayer..