Ephesians 6:16 Faith

Ephesians 6:16 (NRSV)

16 With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

That’s enough, I want to talk for the next fleeting moments with the help of the holy spirit

The Shield of Faith!

(Ephesians 6:16)

The Christian soldier is instructed to put on the girdle of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the gospel shoes.

But Next we learn that we are to take the shield of faith.

Faith is pictured as a shield for us. The Christian warrior is to have faith in the LORD Jesus Christ.

*Faith in life, is not enough it is the object of our faith that makes the difference.*

We are to trust in the LORD Jesus, with all our hearts and all our souls.

Some people don’t have saving faith or serving faith and they do not have the shield of faith.

God has given us a defense that the enemy cannot penetrate.

Faith is not like vacation hours , that an employee builds up over time.

The company may tell that employee, that if he does not use them, he will lose them.

You cannot lose faith if you do not use faith; you do not use faith because you do not have faith! If a person has faith in the LORD Jesus he or she will use that faith and live by that faith on a daily basis.

Don’t lose your faith in God! Trust Him, believe Him, and rely on Him!

A little girl had been attending a Sunday school session where each student had made a little plaque with the words: “Have Faith in God” as the motto. She boarded a bus that would take her to her home, and as the bus was starting to move, she realized that she did not have her little motto with her. She jumped from her seat, and dashing up the aisle to the driver, she shouted, “Stop the bus! I’ve lost my ‘Faith in God.”

We do not need to lose our faith in God!

Facts: Many people seem to have faith when things are going their way.

• When there is prosperity, plenty, and peace they seem to be going with God.

• But when there is a loss of a job,

• a sickness, a death,

• or the winds of adversity blow they quickly fall away, turn away, and run away.

They show that they did not have the shield of faith to protect them.

James 1:2–4 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

The Christian soldier, is admonished to be dressed for battle and be ready for the attacks of the enemy.

In this verse, Paul revealed the 4th piece of the Christian armor, the shield of faith.

Faith in the LORD Jesus, is to be demonstrated by us and is a defense for us.

I want to challenge every Christian, to take up the shield of faith , so that we all can live a victorious Christian life.

This verse of scripture shows us some truths about the shield of faith.

I. The priority of the shield (vs. 16a)

“above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

In this verse Paul magnifies the shield of faith by saying, “above all.” Faith in the LORD Jesus, is a must! Without the shield of faith, the Christian soldier is rendered defenseless.

Faith is vitally connected to the rest of the armor! We cannot put on the LORD Jesus if we do not believe on the LORD Jesus.

Paul tells the church at Ephesus about the necessity and priority of the shield of faith.

Faith in the LORD, is a necessity just as air is for us to breath.

Without air, none of us can live. Faith is a necessity just as food is for us to eat.

Without food none of us can live. Faith is a necessity just as clothing is for us to wear.

Without clothing we will get sick, be shamed, and freeze in the winter and our skin would burn in the summer.

Faith is a necessity just as a house is for us to stay in.

Without a house we would not be protected from storms, rain, sleet, etc.… it is important for us to have a place to stay.

These are necessities in life, for living. Faith in the LORD Jesus is a necessity for true living.

Lehman Strauss said, “Faith here is confidence, complete reliance in the Person, purposes, and power of God. Implicit trust in Him alone can quench the enemy’s darts.”

Paul puts emphasis on the shield of faith! David Jeremiah says that the shield of faith, “is of primary importance. All the rest of the armor will be unable to fully protect you in battle if you are without your shield.”

Can you see why Paul stresses the importance and priority of the shield?

Does the shield of faith have primary importance in your life?

Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Faith is of utmost importance in living, to please God and being defended and protected by God.

The shield of a soldier, is out front and takes the brunt of the blows and is attacked consistently by the enemy.

Our faith is constantly being attacked by the devil, demons, and the world. The Christian faith is facing attacks constantly by people of other faiths and by people with no faith. If we do not make the shield of faith the priority, then we will fall into being inclusive and universal in regards to salvation.

○ There are not many ways that lead to heaven.

○ The LORD Jesus is the only way!

○ There are not many gods and or one God that we can worship in many ways.

○ Christian’s, we must take up the shield of faith in a world full of false faith.

We’ve noticed the priority of the shield, next we see:

II. The provision of the shield (vs. 16b)

“above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

Paul tells the Ephesians that they must make the shield of faith a priority. Then he tells them to take the shield of faith.

Just as the girdle of truth, the breast plate of righteousness, and the shoes of peace are provided for us, so too is the shield of faith.

The shield of faith is a gift from God for the Christian warrior. It would be impossible for the Ephesians to take the shield if they did not have access to the shield.

The shield of faith is available to every believer and it is provided for us by the LORD.

The shield of faith will help us be dressed for battle, be determined in the battle, and will keep us from being defeated in the battle.

Shield: credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation: truth itself:- assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.

Description of the Shield: The Roman soldiers used different kind of shields. One kind was a small round shield that was about 2ft in diameter. It was held on the soldiers arm by two leather straps. This was a light weight shield used in hand to hand combat.

The kind of shield that Paul referred to was called the ‘thureon’ which came from the Greek word ‘thura,’ which mean ‘a door.’

This shield was a large shield which was 4 1/2 ft by 2 1/2.

The shield was a wooden board which was covered by metal and thick leather and could withstand up to two hundred arrows in a raid.

These shields were made in such a way that the soldiers could stand in a line and lock their shields together and march forward against the enemy like a solid wall.

God has provided a shield of faith for every believer so that we can stand together for the truth, march together against the enemy, and fight together against the enemy.

If we do not take the shield of faith, then Satan can penetrate our line of defense, get in behind enemy lines, and cause havoc and destruction.

God provides the faith for us to believe and the faith for us to live.

We must take the shield of faith and to fight the good fight of faith.

Romans 12:3 says, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

We use faith every day with out giving much thought about it.

• It takes faith and trust to drive a car and trust those on the road,

• it takes faith to cross a bridge,

• it takes faith to ride an elevator,

• it takes faith to fly in an airplane,

• it takes faith to jump out of an airplane with a parachute,

• it takes faith and trust to go to a restaurant and eat food we have not seen prepared.

• All this takes trust on our part.

We have been provided faith by our LORD and we must use our faith in our LORD.

The Roman soldier was provided with his weapons for warfare. It was the responsibility of the Roman government to provide the soldiers with the weapons of warfare.

Just as today the USA provides their soldiers with the necessary weapons of warfare. Because faith is necessary for us to live for God and please God, we must live life focused on faith in the LORD Jesus.

We’ve learned about the priority of the shield, the provision of the shield, and next, we see:

III. The purpose of the shield (vs. 16c)

A. It reveals the ability of the saints (vs. 16c)

“above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

Two great truths we learn about the shield of faith in this verse.

The shields purpose is to reveal the ability of the saints.

Paul tells the believers, that when they take up the shield of faith they will be able to quench the fiery darts of the devil.

Paul is not telling us today that we can do anything of ourselves. It is the LORD Jesus, that enables us to be protected.

He gives the ability to withstand the evil attacks and to stand against the evil adversary.

Putting on the armor is putting on the LORD Jesus Christ and it is the LORD Jesus which enables us, empowers us, and energizes us against the enemy.

Paul reveals God’s method and requirements for standing against the devil.

When we take up the shield of faith, it reveals that we rely on God to meet our needs, to protect our souls, and to prepare us for the battle. We do not have the ability in and of ourselves to withstand the attacks of the devil.

We are not strong enough, wise enough, disciplined enough, and brave enough to stand against the devil.

We cannot stand against the devil and the demons in the flesh.

We cannot be victorious in the spiritual battles without taking the armor of God.

The Bible tells us to have a child like faith and trust in the LORD daily. We must not rely on our own abilities, but on His provisions.

We must rely on God and have faith in God. We are helpless against the enemy without the shield of faith in Jesus.

Paul tells us that with the shield of faith, we are able.

Thank God that He does not require us to reach people, fight an unseen enemy, and minister to His people on our own wisdom, strength, and ability. He supplies His saints with the ability to stand!

Ephesians 3:20–21 says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

The purpose of the shield: It reveals the ability of the saints, next we learn:

B. It repels the arrows of Satan (vs. 16d)

“above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

Paul tells the church, that with the shield of faith, they will be able to repel the attacks of the wicked one.

The devil and demon’s attacks, are revealed to us as fiery darts.

With the shield, we will be able to quench those attacks.

Quench:. We will be able to extinguish, put out, and quench the fiery darts of the devil. We will be able to repel all the attacks of the evil one.

INSIGHT:See, The Roman soldiers would soak their shields in water so that they could extinguish the flaming arrows shot at them. The enemy archers would soak the tips of their darts or arrows in pitch and set them on fire and shoot them at their enemy. The flaming arrows would splatter burning pitch everywhere they landed and would start fires. The Romans shield would catch the arrows, protect the soldiers, and put out the fires. The picture of a Roman soldier in the physical battle is a good picture of a Christian soldier in the spiritual battle. Just as the flaming arrows where a real threat to the Roman soldiers, so too are the fiery darts a real threat to the Christian soldiers.

Fiery:The fiery missiles of Satan are a real threat to Christian lives, Christian homes, Christian families, and Christian churches.

The fiery darts remind us of how cunning and deceptive Satan is. A dart is something that arrives silently and suddenly and does more damage in a moment than can be repaired or healed in months.”

○ The flight of an arrow reminds us how suddenly Satan’s attacks come at us.

○ The speed of an arrow reminds us how swiftly he moves against us.

○ The silence of an arrow reminds us how quietly he can enter to disrupt our lives and work.

○ The damage of an arrow reminds us how destructively the flame of wickedness spreads.

Satan attacks the faith of the believer. He will seek to cause us to doubt God’s word.

EXAMPLE: Eve in the Garden of Eden bought into the deception of Satan. Genesis 3: Satan’s dart of doubt: The devil said, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Satan’s dart of denial: Eve replies: “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ Satan denied the truth of God’s word: “You will not surely die.” He shoots the dart of deceit at Eve: Satan says to Eve, “God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Satan used the dart of deceit to confound Eve and confuse Eve, and catch Eve.

He used a little truth mixed with poisonous venom that brought a curse to every person that has ever lived.

Satan’s fiery darts will cause us to doubt God’s word, deny God’s word, and he will deceive us about God’s word.

Proverbs 30:5–6 says, “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. 6Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.”

Great Truth: Without the shield of faith, Satan’s fiery darts will distress us, depress us, discourage us, and defeat us. Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Satan shoots fiery darts at our hearts and minds: lies, blasphemous thoughts, hateful thoughts about others, doubts, and burning desires for sin. If we do not by faith quench these darts, they will light a fire within and we will disobey God.”

Spiritual warfare is real and our enemy does not fight fair. He will use every weapon in his arsenal to destroy your home, life, family, and God’s church. Paul tells us that with the shield of faith we can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

The Bible says, “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” We are able to repel all the fiery darts of the enemy. The Bible teaches us that whatever the devil shoots at us we can extinguish all of his attacks.

○ He does not have an arrow that can penetrate the defense of the shield of faith.

○ He does not have a missile that can damage the shield of faith.

○ He does not have an arrow to burn up the shield of faith.

We need to live by faith and obey God all the time. No matter what Satan may throw up at us we are well able to repel his best shots.

Hakeem Olajuwon played 17 seasons in the NBA. He is known as the ‘Nigerian Nightmare’ and Hakeem ‘the Dream’ Olajuwon. He played all of his career, except 1 year, with the Houston Rockets. The Rockets won back to back NBA championships with Olajuwon in the 1990’s. He was their 7ft tall 255 pound center with the reputation of causing havoc in the paint for the opponent. Of all the great players in NBA history no one excelled at blocking shots like Hakeem Olajuwon. He was indeed the Nigerian Nightmare for his opponents. Hakeem retired as the NBA’s all-time leading shot blocker with 3,830 blocked shots. He was intimidating and he repelled thousands of the opponent’s shots. No one wanted to take the ball inside on Hakeem Olajuwon.

Of all God’s saints throughout history, I wonder who is the all-time leading fiery dart extinguisher?

Hakeem was the best shot blocker in NBA history but he couldn’t block every shot. There were times that the opponent did score on him. The Bible teaches us that, we have the ability in Jesus Christ, to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

We do not have to be on the foreign mission field, to be attacked by Satan.

If we are born again Christians then we are enemies of Satan and he will attack us. We are promised that with the shield of faith we can extinguish all the fiery darts of the enemy.

For us to quench all the fiery darts of the devil we must constantly and consistently have up the shield of faith. A Roman soldier with his shield would feel secure against the attacks of the enemy. A Christian soldier protected by the shield of faith is secure in Christ Jesus and by Christ Jesus!

AMEN! We must walk by faith, talk by faith, plan by faith, practice by faith, work by faith, sing by faith, give by faith, help by faith, think by faith, and do all that we do by faith.

The United States has spent millions of dollars researching a missile defense system to protect America from nuclear attacks. A radar based defense system serves as a great parallel to the Roman soldiers shield. For a radar based defense system to work properly the missile defense system must be in place at all times. The moment the system is off the US will be vulnerable against nuclear missiles. In the same way the moment we cease to live by faith, we are vulnerable for the attacks of Satan. We learn that we must constantly have up the shield of faith.

Are you walking by faith? Are you trusting in Jesus to save you, secure you, and use you?

Are we repelling the fiery darts of Satan? Does Satan have control of your mind, your home, your life?

When we live by faith and put on the armor of God we will be protected against all the enemy’s attacks.

Satan is constantly firing fiery darts at us and we must live by faith in Jesus Christ and rest in Him and trust in Him. Some of you have been coming to church a while and you say you have trusted Jesus, but you have never followed Him in believer’s baptism, you need to obey the LORD.

Some people go to a local church, but they have never united with a local church, God does not want individual soldiers fighting the war all by themselves. He calls for every believer to join a local fellowship so that their faith can be strengthened, so that they can be accountable, and so that they can be useful to the kingdom of God.