Simon Says...Pick Up Your Shield!

Intro: Anyone Else? Preachers Sourcebook of CSI's pg. 288

A man slipped and fell off a cliff while hiking on a mountaintop. Luckily he was able to grab a branch on his way down. Holding on for dear life, he looked down only to see a rock valley some fifteen hundred feet below. When he looked up it was twenty feet to the cliff where he had fallen.

Panicked, he yelled, "Help! Help!....Is anybody up there?...Help!"

A loud voice spoke up. "I am here, and I will save you if you believe in me."

"I believe! I believe!" yelled back the man holding on tightly as his strength quickly began to fade.

"If you believe me, let go of the branch and then I will save you."

The young man, hearing what the voice above said, looked down again. Seeing the rock valley below, he quickly looked back up and shouted, " Is there anybody else up there!?"

This morning we continue to examine the different pieces of the whole armor of God. I am taking my time and preaching on each piece of the armor because if it hasn’t already....a day is coming in each of our lives when we'll need to know not only what the whole armor of God is, but we’ll also need to know how to use it.

The truth is, we need to know about and use the armor every day. We don’t always think about it, but it is vitally important in our spiritual lives.

Eph. 6:10-16

Eph. 6:10-16

According to Verses 10-13 Believers are engaged in a great cosmic battle against a powerful, relentless enemy AKA the devil.

He attacks us by using tricks, schemes, and other diabolical methods to undermine our faith, and to attack the glory of God.

God’s desire is that we’re able to stand against the attacks of the enemy

To stand means “to hold a critical position during a time of enemy attack.”

Once again it’s the image of a soldier on the defensive…refusing to give even an inch, protecting the ground that has already been taken from the enemy.

God has blessed His people by giving us some very precious things....things that need protected.

We have truth.

The

The Truth

His church.

His Word.

He’s given us His truth…His church,… His Word…His grace…. His salvation…His blessing and much, much more.

His grace.

His salvation

We have His blessing.

and much much more

We have so much more too.

The problem is, our enemy, the devil, doesn’t want us to have the things that God has given us....and he‘ll do everything in his power to take it all away from us.

What he can’t take away from us, he’ll do everything in his power to reverse or destroy.

He wants to make God powerless

If he can’t take it, he'll do everything in his power to strip it of its power in our lives.

If we desire to keep what we already have in the Lord, we’re going to have to stand and hold the precious ground we've been given.

If we are going to stand, we must put on the whole armor of God.

Now we’ve already examined The Belt Of Truth, The Breastplate Of Righteousness, and The Boots Of Peace.

Putting on The Belt Of Truth reminds us that Satan is a liar, but the Christian who knows the truth will not be deceived.

Putting on The Breastplate Of Righteousness reminds us to live a holy life… a life that is lived according to the teachings of God in His Word is a powerful defense against the attacks of the enemy. When we allow sin to dwell in our lives, we give Satan a foothold from which he can attack and exploit us… Holiness closes the door to the devil, and it helps protect us from his attacks.

Putting on the Boots of the Gospel of Peace reminds us that through our relationship with Jesus Christ, we are at peace with God and that we are to be ready to tell others about Jesus. We are to be ready to take the Gospel wherever we go.

What is the Purpose of the Shield?

Shields were very important to the Roman soldier.

There were several kinds of shields in use by the Romans during that time period.

One was a small, round shield that was secured to the soldier’s arm by two leather straps.

This shield was used to deflect the enemies blade in hand-to-hand combat....but that’s not the shield being referred to in our passage.

The word used here is, “thureos.” It comes from the word “thura,” which means door. Thus, the “thureos” was a large, door shaped shield.

These shields were about four and a half feet high and two and a half feet wide. This shield was designed to cover the entire body of the soldier. This was possible because men in the First Century were much smaller than men are today.

The shield was usually made of a solid piece of wood, covered wither with metal or heavy oiled leather. A man could put his entire body behind it as it absorbed the javelins and arrows of the enemy. In the case of flaming arrows, very often the arrow would snuff out as it buried itself in the thickness of the shield. During battles these great shields would often bristle with smoking arrows like porcupines.

The shield was curved along its length to provide some protection to the soldier’s sides.

The shields were protected by a leather cover until they were needed for battle.

The shield was one of the most important pieces of armor possessed by the Roman soldier.

When Roman soldiers went into battle, those carrying the larger shields marched in the vanguard of the army. They marched side by side with their shield’s together. The Romans called this a “phalanx.”

Often, when the Romans faced their enemies, the ranks of soldiers which followed the first rank would raise their shields over their heads. They would butt their shields against those of the first rank. With the shields of the first rank soldiers held side by side and with the following rows holding their shields over their heads, the Romans presented their enemies with an impenetrable barrier.

What is the Believer’s Shield?

According to Paul…all believers need a shield…now obviously our shield isn’t made of iron or leather...It’s not to be a manmade shield.

The shield we are told to have is called a shield of faith.

The faith that Paul's referring to isn’t the totality of Christian beliefs…he's not referring to the doctrines we believe.

He’s referring to simple

He's not referring to the doctrines we believe. He is referring to simple “faith” in God. This “faith” refers to the belief in Jesus Christ that brings salvation. It also speaks of our daily faith in Jesus that leads to blessing, daily provision, and strength for the journey. This kind of “faith” is simple faith in Jesus. Simple trust in the Lord that saves us, grounds us, strengthens us, calms us, grows us, establishes us, etc.

He's referring to simple

What is the Believer’s Shield? Faith in God.

Faith in God.

This

f

Faith refers to the belief in Jesus Christ that brings salvation.

It also speaks of our daily faith in Jesus that leads to blessing, daily provision, and strength for the journey.

This kind of faith is simple faith in Jesus....simple trust in the Lord that saves us, grounds us, strengthens us, calms us, grows us, and establishes us.

Faith is necessary…it’s not negotiable…it’s an absolutely necessary component of the Christian life.

Faith is an absolutely necessary component of the Christian life.

We can’t be saved apart from faith in God. Eph. 2:8-9

Our entire Christian life is built upon, and sustained by, a consistent believing that God is, and that He blesses those who place their faith in Him. Heb. 11:6

Regardless of what you believe about God....whether you’re a Christian or an Atheist…we all live by some form of faith.

We cross bridges believing they’ll support us and that we wont plunge to our deaths.

We drive through tunnels believing they won’t collapse in on us.

We trust electricity, automobiles, airplanes, fast food restaurants, and our school systems believing they're safe.

Our faith in those things is based on there reliability over the years…these things have gained our faith by proving themselves to be safe over and over again.

Faith in Jesus is far and above the everyday faith we practice when we climb into our car and head down the road, or when we drive over a bridge.

Our faith is only as good as the object of that faith.

When our faith is in Jesus Christ, and God the Father, our faith is in Someone Who absolutely cannot fail.

As Believer’s....Followers of Jesus Christ.....our faith has power, because the object of our faith is all-powerful.

True Christian faith never fails because the object of our faith never fails!…so we need to be sure that our faith is in the Lord.

We need to be sure that our faith is in the Lord. The Gospel will save the souls of all who trust its message. The Lord will be a Father to all who reach out to Him in faith. The Word of God will never fail. The faith of the believer in God is never misplaced, but our faith in Him is essential if we want to succeed in our walk with Him, and if we want to see our enemy defeated in his efforts to attack and destroy us.

Our faith in Him is essential if we want to succeed in our walk with Him, and if we want to see our enemy defeated in his efforts to attack and destroy us.

The faith of the believer in God is never misplaced, but our faith in Him is essential if we want to succeed in our walk with Him, and if we want to see our enemy defeated in his efforts to attack and destroy us.

The shield of faith is necessary because it provides us with our connection to the Lord and because it protects us from the enemy who desires to slay us.

How Does the Faith Protect Believer’s?

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament Chapter 6

Satan is the source of unbelief and doubt. “Has God indeed said?” is his favorite question (Gen. 3:1). Faith is what overcomes every foe (1 John 5:4). As believers use the shield of faith, the fiery darts of unbelief and doubt are kept away.

In ancient times, the tips of arrows would be wrapped in pieces of cloth that had been soaked in pitch. This would then be set on fire and shot at the enemy. When the arrow hit its target, the flaming pitch would splatter in every direction, igniting everything flammable it touched. Arrows could cause damage by piercing bodies. The pitch could cause serious burns in their skin, and it could burn their equipment and gear.

The Devil…our enemy....Satan is the source of unbelief and doubt....his favorite question is…has God really said?

Faith is what overcomes every foe.

The Believer’s

Faith enables us to quench the fiery darts of unbelief and doubt.

The Roman “thureus” shield would provide and adequate defense against these fiery missiles. If the shield was metal, the arrow and its fiery tip would be deflected. If the shield was leather, it would be soaked in water prior to the battle, and the wet leather would quench the fiery arrows and protect the soldier behind the shield.

The Bible says that the shield of faith will enable us to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

Every day the saints of God are assaulted by the fiery darts of the devil.

The arrows he launches against us are usually the arrows of temptation.

Faith enables us to quench the fiery darts of temptation, including immorality, hatred, envy, anger, covetousness, envy, fear, despair, distrust, doubt, pride, unforgiveness and every other conceivable sin.

Satan comes against us, continually attacking us, and tempting us to sin.

Let me make this clear...Without faith, the fiery darts of temptation have the potential to inflict great damage on our lives, but the Believer’s faith has the power to quench all the devil’s flaming arrows!

Listen…we all have lusts within us which are easy to ignite....as the song says....it only takes a spark to get a fire going.

So we are assaulted daily by the blazing arrows of sensuality, degrading passions, and the smoking arrows of materialism.

Whether you’re aware of it or not, we’re under attack on a daily basis....unfortunately many of us either aren’t paying attention to the attacks....completely unaware of Satan’s schemes…we begin to rationalize our behavior.

We say things like “If God didn't want me to have this, then why did he make me with such a desire for this thing, this person, this pleasure?

My neighbor has it. He does it. And he is doing so well…”

We’re really good at justifying sin, aren’t we?

We date or marry a lost person, and justify it by talking about how much we love the other person.

We gossip, and we justify it by talking about how concerned we are about the person.

It’s the buffet mentality…I like this....i’m ok with this…but I don’t like this.

We’ve become pretty good at justifying our own sins.

Please hear this…when we sin…when we try to justify our sin....when we say this is just who I am.....we're guilty of doing Satan’s will over the Lord’s will.

Living to please ourselves…choosing to live our way over God’s way…living according to our will over His will... is never anything but sin!

• “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s,” .

You can not serve the god of this world and the One True God of all creation.

• “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit,” .

• “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things,” .

As we believe God's Word, the shield flies up and the arrows fall to ashes. It is as C.S. Lewis said: “We must pray for the gift of Faith, for the power to go on believing not in the teeth of reason but in the teeth of lust.”

One thing is crystal clear...Satan desires to defeat us.

His ultimate goes is through deception and temptation to get us to sin.

Alright, I’m going to drip a truth bomb at ya.....When we sin, we do so because we've come to believe that sin provides something for us that God can’t.

When we sin.....what we’re revealing in reality is that we have doubts about the goodness of God’s character.

When we sin, we doubt God. When we doubt God, we disbelieve God, , which in effect, says God is a liar and can’t be trusted to do what He said He would do.

So, Satan...the destroyer....the schemer…the liar causes us to doubt God by leading us to sin against God, and by deceiving us to justify our sin against God.

When we fall into this trap, we’re guilty of degrading God’s character and elevating the devil’s....and absolutely positively no good can come from that....ever!

In the Garden of Eden Satan launched his first “fiery dart.” He tempted Eve to doubt God and to distrust the Word of the Lord.

Since that moment the devil has lit every arrow he fires at the people of God from the same fire.

He tempts us today in the exact same way he tempted Eve.

He tempts us all according to the same pattern. That pattern is found in . It is also found in - which says, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Interestingly enough, the Lord Jesus, when He was tempted by the devil in , was attacked with the very same “fiery darts.” Jesus deflected every single arrow....it’s exactly what Eve should have done.

The Lord Jesus deflected the devil’s darts the way we should deflect them. Jesus deflected them with the Word of God.

If we would stand for the Lord against the attacks of “the wicked,”....If we would stand for the Lord against the attacks of the devil...then we must stand against him holding up the shield of faith.

We must lift the Word of God together and stand side-by-side creating an impenetrable wall that Satan cannot defeat with his scheming.

The Word of God, the truth of God, is what we must have if we would see the “fiery darts” of the enemy quenched.

• “As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him,” .

Conc:

So, What is “the shield of faith?”

“The shield of faith” is simple trust in God. It is taking Him at His Word, and believing Him in all things. It is putting Him and His will ahead of everything else in life.

It is putting Him and His will ahead of everything else in life. So that when Satan launches his “fiery darts” at us, we are able to hold up “the shield of faith,” and what them all fall harmlessly to the ground.

So that when Satan launches his “fiery darts” at us, we are able to hold up “the shield of faith,” and watch them as they all fall harmlessly to the ground.

Only when we trust God will we be able to stand against all the attacks of the enemy.

The shield of faith is more than a piece of armor to be taken out for our protection when needed.

Faith is what makes the Christian life possible.

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The shield of faith, which is simple childlike faith and trust in the Lord, is a shield that the arrows of Satan cannot penetrate.

That shield will protect you here. And, like the ancient Roman soldiers who were slain in battle, and carried off the field on their shields, the shield of faith will carry you home to glory and bring you into the presence of the Lord!

Do you stand protected by “the shield of faith?”

Are you rooted and rounded in the truth and ready for the attacks of the enemy?

If there are needs in this area, let’s come talk to the Lord about them now.