Shield of Faith

I’m excited to be back with you tonight as we go into night 4 of our study on the Armor of God and turn to the Shield of Faith. As we have gone through this series, we have hopefully been mindful of the fact that Paul wants us to put on the whole or full armor of God. We can’t just put on a piece here and there and expect to thrive in this world. It takes a whole armor to make a whole Christian but I do believe that while all of the pieces are important, there is just something about the shield of faith that needs to stand out. We cannot expect to win this spiritual war against the devil and his forces without the greatest defensive tool in our arsenal and we will talk about why that is the case in a little bit. We cannot undersell the value that faith in Jesus Christ has. Charles Spurgeon puts it like this: “Faith alone, out of all the pieces of armour, is able to quench all the darts. The helmet can only keep off those that are aimed against the head. The foot is only and alone protected by the sandals, the breast alone is guarded by the breastplate, but faith protects against all attacks. Have all other virtues, but most of all have faith, for faith is the cure-all, it is the universal remedy. It is good for everything,—good for the timid to make them strong, good for the rash to make them wise; it is good for those who are desponding to make them brave, and good for those who are too daring, to make them discreet. There is no respect in which faith is not useful to us, therefore, whatever you leave out, see to your faith; if you forget all besides, be careful above all that you take the shield of faith.” So, what does Paul mean when he talks about the shield of faith? Why is it that he expounds on its usefulness more than, I believe, any other piece of the armor? It has to be because we often forget just how badly we need a living and active faith. Let’s open up in prayer and then we will read Ephesians 6:10-16 again and we will follow the same basic pattern that we have followed the past 2 nights:

Ephesians 6:10–16 NASB95

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Context

As we have done the last few nights, I want to go ahead and talk about what a shield for the first century Roman soldier would look like and I think that when we think of shields, we have the tendency to think about a small shield that someone holds with one hand and then they can carry a weapon in the other hand. Maybe it is like a medieval knight shield or even Captain America’s shield. Do you think that is what Paul is referring to? Does Paul have this little Frisbee sized device in mind when it comes to extinguishing all the flaming arrows of the evil one? If you are getting pelted with arrows, is that size of a shield going to be much help? I’ve always wondered why bad guys never think to just shoot Captain America in the legs because that seems like that should be able to work! No, Paul has a different shield in mind, one that was to spring straight to the front of the mind to the Ephesians. The shield that Paul is referring to is a very large shield that was designed to protect the entire body. It was usually about 2.5 by 4.5 feet so think of it almost like carrying a door into battle. It was tough but surprisingly durable for its size and if Rome was storming a city, they would usually have those with these shields in the front to not just protect their own bodies but the shield was pretty much large enough to protect other soldiers that were behind it. These shields were large enough that you would not have to move it from one side of your body to another because the entire front of the body could be protected. While these shields were useful in close quarter combat, they were most useful in deflecting arrows that were shot from far distances. If you were to have one of these large shields, it would be pretty difficult for an arrow to get through to you. Something that you may not know is that when Paul makes reference to fiery darts, this was a common tactic that would be used during times of war. Archers would dip their arrows in pitch and light the arrow on fire because the hope was that if the arrow didn’t do anything, they could at least light you on fire. But Roman soldiers were usually prepared for that too because they would have their shields, which were made out of leather or metal, drenched in water or treated with oil so that as soon as the flaming arrows hit the shield, the flame would be extinguished and wouldn’t cause any damage to the soldier. All of this is to say that what Paul is talking about in verse 16 is a familiar sight and a well-known tactic that would be easily recognized by the Ephesian church. But what does that have to do with the Christian? Like I mentioned earlier, it seems that Paul puts more of an emphasis on explaining how the shield of faith works than any other piece of armor that he has spoken about.

How do we use the shield of faith?

Let’s start with this question, what is faith? What does Paul mean when he makes this reference to faith? I think that the first thing that comes to mind for many Christians when they hear the word faith is salvation. I’m sure that you have heard people say that they were saved when they came to faith in Christ and I am sure that you remember what Paul said in Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Clearly there is a close link between salvation or justification and our faith. But do you think that Paul is referencing faith here as that initial faith that is needed for our salvation? I don’t believe that he is because remember what we have been saying all week, Paul is writing to people that are already Christians and putting on the armor of God can only happen once you have already become a Christian. So while that initial saving faith is certainly referenced here, that is not the faith that Paul is emphasizing. So, what does he mean then? Really what Paul is referencing is absolute trust and assurance. So, absolute trust and assurance in who? Certainly not in ourselves! No, our source of absolute trust and assurance can only come from something that is absolutely constant and never changes. I’m sure you’ve put it together in your mind that I’m obviously talking about the Lord. The Bible is clear that there is no change in the Lord, that He is constant and really the sole source of consistency. Malachi 3:6 says, “For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” In James 1:17 we read, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” And I am sure that you have heard the famous words of Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” What Paul and all of Scripture points to is that if we want to be able to withstand the assault of the devil, the only way that we can do that is through the strength of the Lord our God. The only thing that can truly combat the lies and temptations of the devil is absolute trust and faith in the God that never changes. That is how we extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one! Our faith in God must be a full body faith. The faith that we are to put on as the devil throws his fiery darts at us is the trust that God is who He says He is and He will keep the promises that He has given to us. It is because we know that God is good, because we know that He has kept every promise and will deliver on every promise that we can trust Him to deliver us from what the devil tries to use against us. This is the faith that reminds us that ultimately all sad things will become untrue. It is faith and trust that reminds us that God predestined and saved us in the past, is saving us now in the presence, and will completely save us from all sin and death in the future. In Hebrews 11:1 the author tells us this: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Even in this verse we see the shield that Paul speaks about! We as Christians have things in our possession that is not fully ours. If you are a Christian, you are as secure and safe in Christ’s arms as you can possibly be but you do not yet get to experience the fullness of being in His presence. Does that mean that it will never happen? Absolutely not! One day our faith will become sight. We have hope and it is hope that is unlike anything else. I read something by the Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs on this verse recently that I thought was one of the most amazing and profound comments on a verse that I have ever read. It’s a super long quote so I’ll just share part of it. Burroughs said, “There are great things that the saints hope for that they do not yet have; they are men of hopes. They hope that they shall be delivered from all sin and sorrows: that they shall never sin again, never be tempted more, never suffer more, never fear more, they hope that the time is coming when it shall be said of all their sins, ‘These your enemies that now you see, you shall never see them again.’ They hope that these vile bodies of theirs, these bodies of dirt and clay, bodies of vilness, bodies of sin, shall long be made glorious bodies; that these pieces of dirt shall shine more gloriously than the sun in the sky. They hope that the image of God shall long be perfect in them, so as they shall be fully united to God, and be made one with the Father, as the Father and the Son are one. They hope that they shall meet with their blessed Savior in the air and with their eyes behold Him coming in His glory. They hope that they shall keep an eternal sabbath, and shall no more be encumbered with natural things, with the things of the earth, but shall have perfect and everlasting rest in Christ, and shall live in God as in an infinite ocean of all excellency; these things they hope for.” I know that some of you may hear that and not really recognize just how beautiful those words are. As I get older, the more I look ahead to those days when my faith becomes sight. The more I look ahead to the promise that all this sin that I have in me will finally and fully be put away and I will never have to deal with it again. The day when that last tear falls and fears are destroyed is something that I need to hold onto now. This world is full of so much chaos and disorder but one day this world will be made new. The King will return and set all things right and it is with full assurance of this that I cling to the hope of my life in the next. Understand that the devil is going to do all that he can to shake you off the firm foundation of the Gospel. The Devil is going to do all that he can to make you question and doubt. He knows that he can’t remove you from God’s hand but he can certainly make you question whether you are in God’s hands. Satan has so many tools at his disposal that we need to be aware of. John Stott said, “The devil’s darts no doubt include his mischievous accusations which inflame our conscience with what can only be called false guilt. Other darts are unsought thoughts of doubt and disobedience, rebellion, lust, malice or fear. But there is a shield with which we can quench or extinguish all such fire-tipped darts. It is the shield of faith. God himself ‘is a shield to those who take refuge in him’, and it is by faith that we flee to him for refuge. For faith lays hold of the promises of God in times of doubt and depression, and faith lays hold of the power of God in times of temptation.” The question then remains, what do we do then when our faith is weak? What do we do when the devil just keeps unloading arrow after arrow on us? We look backwards, we look around us, and we look ahead. We look back on what Jesus has already done for us. I think of a couple Sundays ago when we talked about Jesus calming the storm in Mark 4. When Jesus asked the disciples, “Why are you afraid?” He was really asking them this: Knowing what you know about me, having seen what you have seen me do, knowing that I have cast out demons, healed the sick, restored the paralyzed, was any of that hard for me? If that wasn’t hard for me, if that had no power over me, why would you question whether I could get you out of this storm?” That’s what we must do when the fiery darts come. We look back on what Jesus has done for us and I am sure that when you look back on His faithfulness then, it will encourage you to endure and remain faithful now. All our lives we know that He has been faithful. Remember how great our God is. Remember what Paul says in Philippians 3:8 “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.” Next we need to look around. Faith is difficult when you go about it alone. Jesus has given us the church as a gift and here’s why. Surrounding you right now are a number of people who love and have been saved by Jesus but who have also had moments of doubt, worry, anxiety, and temptations. Surrounding you right now are people that day after day need to put on the shield of faith to extinguish the fiery darts of the evil one. Use them! No army thrives on the strength of one soldier but the entire army benefits when they stand firm together. James Montgomery Boice said, “Paul is saying that our faith should do three things: It should cover us so that not a portion is exposed, it should link up with the faith of others to prevent a solid wall of defense, and because it covers our entire person and links up with the faith of our fellow soldiers, it should be able to strike down whatever fiery arrows the enemy hurls at us.” The last thing that we have to do is look ahead and in many ways, we have already talked about that. We look ahead with full assurance that just has God has kept every promise in regards to Christ’s first coming; He will see to it that every promise is kept in regards to His second coming. Paul says in Titus 2:11–13 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.” The blessed hope and appearance of our God and Savior is coming and when that day comes, our greatest foe will finally and forever be taken care of. So, let him shoot his arrows, we will trust in the promises of God! The question now is this: How did Jesus wear the shield of faith?

Jesus and the Shield of Faith

I think that really the first question that we have to ask about this is: Did Jesus have faith? Did Jesus trust His Heavenly Father? Yes! He trusted His Father absolutely perfectly. I believe that no one has ever had a stronger faith than our Lord has. The author of Hebrews says in Hebrews 12:2 “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus is the creator of our faith and He is the One that sees to it that we finish the race of faith. How was it that Jesus was able to endure the cross with joy? I believe that no crucifixion victim ever looked at their sentence with joy but here we see that Jesus is not like any other victim. How then was He able to endure the cross and endure it with joy? It is because He had complete hope, trust, and faith in the finished work and Word of God the Father. Even as Christ faced the cup of God’s wrath in the garden of Gethsemane, He trusted that God would see to it that the plan of salvation would be completed. As He laid dying on the cross, one of the very last things that He said were words of complete trust and faith in His Heavenly Father. In Luke 23:46 we read, “And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.” From life to death, Jesus’ trusted in His Heavenly Father. Jesus endured the cross, endured the wrath, and rose so that we may be able to wield the shield of faith. Without Christ living a life of perfect faith, trust, and obedience, you and I never could and we would always fall victim to the works of the devil. Mark Jones said, “Christ had to have trust in his Father, hope in his Father’s promises, and love for his Father in order to bestow on us those graces that are first in him.” The last thing that I want to mention is that Christ’s perfect faith did not go unrewarded. His perfect life, perfect obedience, perfect trust, and perfect sacrifice is that which has completely destroyed the one that stands to accuse us. We must remember that it is the blood of the Lamb of God that silences the accuser. It is Christ’s atoning death which totally shuts the mouth of Satan. We celebrated this last night with communion. D.A. Carson said, “We overcome him by the blood of the lamb. There is the ground of all human assurance before God. There is the ground of our faith. Not guaranteeing intensity of faith—so fickle are we. It’s not the intensity of our faith but the object of our faith that saves. They overcome him on the ground of the blood of the Lamb.” If you are a Christian, you can be confident in the fact that it is not the size of your faith that saves you; it is the One that your faith is in that saves you. Let me remind you of this great quote from Martin Luther: “So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: ‘I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!’” Guys I know that it can be hard to hold on to that shield of faith. Sometimes our arms get tired and our hearts get weak. But remember who it is that your faith is in. Remember who it is that has saved you and will continue to save you until you reach Heaven’s Golden shore. All Satan can do is accuse but remember that your payment has already been paid in full and that there is nothing to his accusations that will hold you down. So, pick up your shield of faith and let the trustworthiness and faithfulness of God be that which extinguishes all the fiery darts that are thrown at you. Remember that even when we are faithless, He remains faithful. One final question that I want to leave with you is this: Where is it that your faith most struggles? Is it to believe that God loves you? That He can provide for you? That He has a personal interest in you? I’d love to take a few minutes and talk about this if there is a certain area where you are struggling. Let’s go to the Lord in prayer.