Part 6 - The Shield of Faith
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
We are continuing with our study of the Armor of God. Tonight will be part 6 in the series, and we will be looking at the next piece of equipment listed in the Bible text.
I’m going through all of these one by one because there is coming a day in each of our lives when we will need to know what “the whole armor of God” is, and we will need to know how to use it.
We know that we are in a great battle against a powerful, relentless enemy.
The devil uses wiles against us as Christians in hopes to undermine our faith, and to attack the glory of God.
God desires that we be able to “stand” against the attacks of the devil.
To stand means “to hold a critical position during a time of enemy attack.”
Biblical standing is the image of “a soldier refusing to yield even one inch of ground to an attacking foe.”
God has blessed us by giving us some very important and precious things:
We have truth!
We have His church!
We have His Word!
We have His grace!
We have His salvation!
We have His blessing!
And many, many more things...
If we are going to “stand,” we must “put on the whole armor of God.”
We have already examined The Belt Of Truth, The Breastplate Of Righteousness, and The Gospel Shoes.
Tonight, let’s take a look at Shield of Faith!
The Bible says,
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Let’s see why this piece of armor is so important...
THE PRIORITY OF THE SHIELD
THE PRIORITY OF THE SHIELD
The Bible says, “Above all...” - This tells us that there is a priority concerning the shield of faith.
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, and other elements. 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.”
Faith is of utmost importance in living to please God and being defended and protected by God.
Use your imaginations to visualize a soldier on the battlefield and notice his shield...
The shield 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.
So, we understand now there’s a priority concerning the shield of faith, but also, notice:
THE PROVISION OF THE SHIELD
THE PROVISION OF THE SHIELD
“…taking the shield...”
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 breastplate of righteousness, and the Gospel shoes 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.
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.
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
• 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 faith, or trust on our part.
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Since faith is a requirement for us to live for God and please God we must live life focused on faith in the Lord Jesus.
We’ve looked at the priority of the shield, the provision of the shield, and next, we see:
THE PURPOSE OF THE SHIELD
THE PURPOSE OF THE SHIELD
The Bible says that “the shield of faith” will enable us to “quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” 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 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 (same word in our text) the fiery arrows and protect the soldier behind the shield.
David Smith said, “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.
We must take up the shield of faith!
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
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.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
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. 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.
There are a thousand and more perils that would burn themselves into our lives to render us helpless in the battles of life. Against these satanic, fiery darts of pride, envy, jealousy, covetousness, worry, unbelief, impurity, and many others, we need a sure defense. Paul calls that defense “the shield of faith.”
When we trust God, we can 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. “The shield of faith” is what makes the Christian life possible. The Lord says,
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
This kind of faith is the very life of the believer!
Are you standing, 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.