Behind Enemy Lines (7)

Step Into the Armory (4)

Text: Ephesians 6:10–20

Ephesians 6:10–20 (ESV)

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

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 firm.

14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Focus: The Shield of Faith

Introduction:

Circa 4000 BC

A young man named Abel offers to God a sacrifice not out of obligation or compulsion but by faith and it was counted unto him as righteousness.

Circa 3500 BC

Enoch walked with God and did not see death but was taken from the earth by faith.

Circa 2500 BC

God commanded a man to build an Ark to save his family from coming judgment upon humanity’s sin. Noah believed the Word of the Lord and by his belief and obedience he saved himself and his family.

Circa 2000 BC

God spoke to a man named Abram and commanded him to leave his home and kindred - go in search of a land that will be shown to him.

Abram believed God and spent the rest of his life in search of the promise of God.

God further tells him that his wife Sarah will give birth to a son in their old age, while incredible and impossible from man’s viewpoint, Abraham and Sarah believed God and Isaac was born.

Circa 2000 AD

A young woman, Mary, newly engaged, probably no more than 16 or 17 years old is visited by the angel of the Lord and told she will become pregnant by the will of God, without a man.

She believed the Word of Promise and rejoiced that she carried the Son of God in her womb.

At the same time a young man, Joseph, likely in his mid-twenties is told that his new bride if with child. The angel of the Lord appears to him and commands him to take Mary as his wife, she carries the Son of God in her womb.

He too believed and married his young bride.

“Without faith it is impossible to please God.”

Throughout our lives, each of us will face moments a crisis of faith, will we believe God and His Word or will we bend to unbelief.

When we are commanded to take up the ‘Shield of Faith’ God is telling us to cover ourselves in faith - absolute trust in Him and His plan for our future.

Charles H. Spurgeon said,

“Let a Christian begin to boast, “I can do all things,” without adding “through Christ which strengtheneth me,” and before long he will have to groan, “I can do nothing,””

As we enter the armory of God once again, let us take up the shield of faith by which we can quench every fiery dart the enemy may throw our way.

Show Shield

It is designed to fully cover the soldier as he faces the enemy on the battle field. Let’s talk about the shield of faith today.

1. Covered

“Take up the shield of Faith”

In Greek ‘θυρεός thurĕŏs’ is a large shield like a door that covers the entire person.

It measured almost 4’ tall and 2 1/2 feet wide, and would covered the whole soldier.

It ‘consisted … of two layers of wood glued together and covered first with linen and then with leather: it was bound with iron above and below.’

It was specially designed to absorb and hold water to put out the dangerous incendiary missiles then in use, arrows dipped in pitch which were then lit and fired, or special made arrows that were hollow and filled with a liquid that would burn.

The shield was dipped in water and held for the duration that is was saturated with water. It made it heavy and fire proof.

Effective faith covers us from top to bottom, from the inside out. We must be saturated in faith and trust God and what God has promised in His Word.

When Satan fires his missile at you, are you immediately overwhelmed with anxiety - doubt - depression a sense of abandonment, or do you recall the promise, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

This isn’t a spur of the moment decision. You must drench yourself in and totally cover your life in faith, if you are to withstand all that Satan will throw your way.

In the early church people were faced with a host of threats, their lives were forfeit, their fortunes were forfeit, their families were forfeit. Why?

Because they believed that Jesus was the One true God, the only way to heaven and those threats would cause some to deny the faith and forsake the church, including pastors.

Hebrews 12:4 (ESV)

4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

Members of the early church faced many trials of faith, and some paid with their lives. Others left the church, forsook their faith and the Lord who bought them to preserve their lives.

This thing called the Christian life is no easy walk, it is difficult, fraught with danger and multiple attempts by the enemy to deceive you into forsaking what you believe.

In your life, how have you faired regarding your trust in God and His Word when circumstances have turned on you?

The shield of faith must cover you.

2. Completely

“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith”

The Greek phrase translated ‘in all circumstances’ is the same across every form of Greek literature.

Covering All - Totality

All times – Anytime

All conditions – Anything

Always – Not for a single second do I put down this sheild

All people – Anyone

All places – Anywhere

All situation – Any situation

All challenges – Any challenge

All needs – Any need

You trust God no matter what!

Oswald Chambers said “God expects His children to be so confident in Him that in any crisis they are the reliable ones. . .”

This can’t happen unless you are regularly feasting upon the Word of God.

Romans 10:17 (ESV)

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

If our faith is to grow strong we must be feeding our souls with the Word of God.

Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV)

5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  6  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

“Trust in the Lord With all your heart” The greatest of all the commandments “Love God with all your heart - soul and mind.

Over and over again God commands us to trust Him with all that we are and all that we have.

Absolute trust that rests all my hopes - all my future - all my family totally in the sovereign hands of a mighty God.

All means All and that’s all All means!

3. Conflict

“With which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.”

We are in a battle, even after our salvation, we still face an enemy who desires nothing less to steal, kill and destroy us.

Satan will not let up, his demons will not let up and you must be saturated in faith if the flaming arrows and darts that he throws are to be extinguished.

The “fiery darts” Paul uses as his illustration were made from a hollow reed (something like bamboo).

One end was stoppered, then the reed was filled with a flammable liquid, probably a mixture of alcohol and naphtha. A loosely fitting stopper holding a wick was slipped into the other end of the tube and lit.

It was then shot like an arrow at the soldier.

Since the missile had its own fuel source and the wick was protected by the tube, the missile kept burning until it hit something.

When it hit a soldier, the wick popped out, the liquid spilled over the soldier’s armor and ignited, cooking him in his own armor.

How appropriate that Paul should use this imagery concerning the Enemy’s attack on the people of God.

These missiles were unspectacular. Fired during daylight hours you could hardly see them coming, but when they struck the effects were devastating.

Satan’s tactics are to send something our way — a thought, a doubt, an unholy idea, an event, a casual comment by a friend — which seems very innocent at first, but when it strikes it spreads its destruction throughout our spiritual lives, engulfing us in his sulfuric flames.

You can’t win this conflict, you will not quench the fiery missile Satan hurls your way if you are not carrying the shield of faith saturated in the water of the Word of God and holding it forth to protect you and your loved ones.

Do you know why so many Christians falter and then fail? They walked into the enemy’s camp and laid their weapons down.

They believed unto salvation but when it came to the other parts of life, they quit.

If you want to live a life free of the burning sulfur of Satan’s attacks, you must in all circumstances carry the sheild of faith.

And here is the tricky part of this. God plants the seed of faith within us by His Word, but it is up to you and me to cultivate it, to tend it, to nurture and grow it.

This passage is written in such a way that it means we do not by faith pick up the shield, but rather the shield has the character of faith.

Another way of saying this is our faith in God is the shield.

If our faith in God is weak, then the shield we carry is weak, and if our faith in God is strong, then the shield is strong.

So, what’s the condition of your shield?

Conclusion:

A Roman soldier in battle could not afford to leave his shield behind. It didn’t matter if his sword was sharp or his armor polished — without his shield, he was an open target.

Faith works the same way. You may have knowledge of the Bible, experience in ministry, and years in the church — but without active, living, daily trust in God, you are exposed.

Illustration: In 1972, during the Vietnam War, a group of soldiers was pinned down by enemy fire. One man, a young private, survived because he stayed behind a thick steel plate from a destroyed vehicle. Bullet after bullet, shrapnel after shrapnel hit the plate — but none touched him. After the battle, he looked at the steel, pitted and scarred, and realized — that plate had taken every hit meant for him.

That is what faith does. It absorbs the blows, shields us from destruction, and keeps us standing when the battle is over.