Shield of Faith: Worldly Foolishness, Christian Wisdom

Thank you for reading our passage of Scripture.

I’d like to announce that we will be baptizing my son, Ezra, next Sunday.

Live-streaming next Sunday.

Before we dive into God’s Word this morning, I’d like to pray specifically for Tom and Raylene.

This morning, we’re going to be talking about faith, or as Paul has written for us, the “shield of faith.” This shield of faith is worldly foolishness, but it is, indeed, Christian Wisdom. When you look at your life, when you look at all the ways in which you exercise your faith in Christ, in which you walk in your faith in Christ, it’s foolishness to the world. Faith in Christ is foolishness to the world. But when God gives you a new heart, when God makes you one of His children, Faith in Christ is Wisdom. It’s wisdom. Wisdom is knowing the truth and knowing how to apply the truth in all the things of life. What I’d like for you to come away with this morning is knowing more about this shield of faith and how to use it in your everyday life. How God wants you to work out faith in your family. How God is equipping you with the shield of faith for your job. Where God might be calling you to pick up the shield of faith with your friends and withstand the fiery darts of the evil one.

So, in order to accomplish these goals, Tom has designed our study through the armor of God with these four structural questions.

Armor of God Questions:

What is the spiritual armor?

Why does Paul call that spiritual armor a given physical armor?

How do you put it on?

What does it do?

So, what is faith?

Why is faith a shield?

How do we put it on?

What does it do?

1. What is Faith?

Faith is such a common word. I would venture to say that even if you’re not very familiar with Jesus or His Kingdom, you’re probably still familiar with the word “faith.” “Let me share my faith with you.” “Have a little faith.” We tend not to call the various world religions “religions” any more; rather, some call them “faiths.”

One of the reasons why so many are at least somewhat familiar with “faith” is that “faith” is a common and foundational reality in the Bible.

Greek word: πιστεύω—have faith, faith, faithfulness: 243 times in NT, 84 times in the OT. So “faith” is a huge theme in the Bible

you say, “okay, Dustin. it’s a huge theme, a foundational reality in the Bible. But what is faith? What does it mean to have faith?”

If you have your Bible’s feel free to follow along with me in Hebrews chapter 11.

The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews actually gives us a definition of “faith.”

By Faith

11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

This is really saying one thing: the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Let me ask you this—when you think of “faith,” do you think about something that is sure, something that you’re absolutely confident about? Eugene Peterson paraphrases this verse like this, “The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see.”

What is faith? Faith is not a blind leap in the dark, as some have said. If faith were a blind leap in the dark, you’d have no assurance that you’re going to touch down on the ground safely.

Faith is not a guess. Faith is not wishful thinking.

Let me spend a moment saying this, faith is not blind-believing, groundless-guessing. The foundation of faith is not your ability, your strength, your wisdom, your love—it’s God’s. Let me say that again. The foundation of faith is not your ability, your strength, your wisdom, your love—it’s God’s. The foundation of faith is not you, it’s God.

There’s a popular teaching within Christian circles, a teaching which is absolutely sinful, absolutely destructive, absolutely idolatrous, and it says that if you just have enough faith, you can get whatever you want. it says that if you just have enough faith, you’ll be happy, healthy, and wealthy. Don’t have enough money for the electric bill this month? That’s because you didn’t have enough faith; but if you have enough faith right now, you’ll get that electric bill paid. Students: didn’t study for the test? Just have faith! Marriage struggling? Where’s your faith?

if the object of your faith, if the thing you have faith in is either you or something other than God, then you are worshipping that thing, and your faith will be shattered. but if you have faith in God, as my daughter Abigail would say, “Well, God is the strongest, so ya know, your faith will be strong.”

Faith is sure. Faith is reliable. Faith is strong. Faith is firm.

That’s why Paul calls, “faith” a shield.

Lift up shield.

Now the Greek word that Paul uses for shield is “θυρεός.”

The Greek word for “shield” here is θυρεόν, linked to the word for “door” (θυρα). This shield is not the small, circular shield that doesn’t protect most of your body from your enemies; rather, this large shield, as Greg Pyron described it, will protect the soldier from chin to shin. These shields would be made of wood or metal, wrapped in hardened leather for greater protection. And often, soldiers would drench their shields in water so that the shield would be able to extinguish fiery arrows.

That brings us to the fiery arrows that Paul writes about.

faith is, therefore, a shield against the attacks that the evil one, that the dark forces in the heavenly realms would fire at us.

Transition: So, Faith is sure, faith is a shield. It’s firm. Our faith is not in ourselves or in something, but our faith is in God. God wants us to have faith in Him. So our next two questions are these: how do we put it on, and what does it do? we’ll take these two questions at the same time.

2 For by it the people of old received their commendation.

“Commendation,” meaning, their approval, the KJV says “good report”. in other words, this was their, “well done, good and faithful servant,” or “ya done good, kid.”

3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

The Word of God. Has this fiery dart afflicted you? Do you believe with all your heart, do you have faith, have you taken up the shield of faith with respect to believing in the truthfulness of God’s word?

Students, do you know that when you read or have the Bible read to you, that the God of the universe is talking directly to you?

The world calls this foolishness, but Christian Wisdom knows, has sure faith, has confidence that God, my Father, knows best and speaks the truth to me in the Bible.

4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.

Able’s life shows us that our lives belong to God.

The world calls this foolishness. “you only have one life, so you better make the most of it—get your fill!”

Faith, Christian wisdom says, “I’ll pour our my life now and receive 10-fold in the new heavens-new earth.”

tithing

following God’s call in serving Him

for us, faith was homeschooling the kids so that we could give them a Christian education

for you who are married, faith is living and loving your spouse like—My life for yours.

you have to forgive, you have to give, you have to humble yourself toward that person, and it takes faith (faith in God and faith in your spouse) to believe that they will still seek your best interest even in the hard times.

Faith says to God and to yourself, “I could have gone on and done X, Y, or Z, but I will delight in giving up those things for the sake of my children, my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren, my great-great-grandchildren.”

Don’t say that sort of thing to your children. That manipulates them and makes you look like a victim when you’re saying that you’re strong in the Lord.

This is worldly foolishness, but it is Christian Wisdom.

5 By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Enoch desired God, and he sought to glorify God.

7 By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

for some of you, you didn’t pursue some careers because God was calling you and leading you into another vocational direction

you maximize your shield’s coverage when you link up next to someone. you can’t do the Christian life alone. Someone close to me told me at the beginning of the pandemic, “I can do everything in my own house by myself that I can do in a church.” That’s almost right, but it’s also totally wrong.

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. 20 By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau. 21 By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones.

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.

29 By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

39 And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.