The Shield of Faith

Prayer

Under Attack

Randall “Tex” Cobb, was, boxer & an actor (usually played a tough bad guy), had the kind of face only a mother could love

In the late 60’s, he went to Abilene Christian University in Abilene, TX, where he played football. According to one story, Tex got a little too caught up in the dorm wars happening on campus

He got a crossbow, and was using it to shoot flaming arrows at the dorm opposite of his, while screaming, “Get ready to die!” Pretty amazing that his only punishment was being suspended from the football team.

Maybe, just maybe he was taking dorm wars just a tad too far.

Some of us might be wondering that we may be doing the same thing with all this talk about spiritual warfare, this great battle between God and Satan, good and evil. May we’re being too overly dramatic, taking it too far.

But if we take a look at Bible, it takes these attacks very seriously - see how often attacks come against believers for their faith.

Go back to the Old Testament - book of Daniel

Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego - because they refused a government edict to worship a gold statue of the king, Nebuchadnezzar, were thrown into a pit of fire.

Daniel himself was caught praying to the Lord God of Israel, just like he did every day, three times a day. He was thrown into the lion’s den to be mauled and eaten.

How often God’s prophets had to stand in opposition to his own people - and even endure threats, beatings and imprisonments. Jeremiah and Elijah are two perfect examples.

Into the New Testament - listen to what Paul endured for proclaiming the Gospel: 2 Corinthians 11: Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.

It still happens today

Rashin Soodmand, who directs a ministry with her husband, was 13 years old when Iran’s government executed her father, Pastor Hossein Soodmand, and buried him in an unmarked grave in a part of the cemetery reserved for “the cursed.” The man who preached at his father’s funeral, Haik Hovsepian, was executed, as was as the man who encouraged her to go to Bible School, Mehdi Dijab.

Hy and Tan are two believers living and ministering in Northern Vietnam. They are regularly beaten and imprisoned by the communist government officials and local leaders. In one particular instance, after having being beaten the night before, they were dragged out of the police station by police officers into the village square where the crowd had gathered for the privilege of beating these “propagators of lies and rebellion.” More than 100 people stepped forward to strike the “dog men”. Beatings lasted for three hours.

They are all, of course, following the example of Jesus, who was attacked by Satan as soon as he began his public ministry, tempting him in the wilderness.

Recognizing the seriousness of this battle, it makes much more sense of why Jesus rebuked Peter so strongly when Peter rebuked him for telling the disciples that he must suffer and ultimately be killed at the hands of the Jewish leaders. Remember Jesus’ response, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me!”

Whether it’s threat of physical harm, intimidation, temptation to an easier path - Satan’s attacks come in many forms. All designed with one purpose. To diminish our faith in Jesus, to separate us from him.

This is a battle of Kingdoms, of Rulers. Kingdom of God versus the dark powers of this world.

If you pursue greater faith, deeper surrender, you will experience attacks. Satan does not want us to grow closer to Jesus. He does not want us living in deeper dependence upon him, living more fully in the Kingdom of God.

If we don’t pursue those things, there’s no need. We’re type of combatant the enemy doesn’t worry about - no threat.

But here again, God gives us a great weapon - shield of faith: Ephesians 6:16, In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Main Point this morning: we engage the battle against the spiritual forces of evil by committing to deeper trust in Jesus, by surrendering more fully to person and promises of Jesus.

Taking Up the Shield of Faith

This piece of the full armor of God is interesting in that it’s the only one that specifically speaks to being attacked. That the evil one is actively coming against us, he is attacking us - that’s what flaming arrows are all about (Get ready to die!)

Thing about flaming arrow is the double danger - you have arrow itself, deadly projectile that comes from a distance. That’s bad enough.

But then you add the flame element. Which, of course, is just a small ball of fire. Not much.

Unless it lets something flammable. That’s when the real danger happens, when that small ball of fire turns into raging wildfire.

When we’re hurting…lonely…doubting…distracted…overwhelmed...worn down…eager to make an impression or make friends…we want something badly...in a very real sense, we’re flammable. We’re vulnerable, defenseless.

Years ago - we did a study / sermon series on Max Lucado’s book, You’ll Get Through This: Hope and Help for Turbulent Times.

The 4th chapter is, “Stupid Won’t Fix Stupid” (which is just a great title!). But the whole point of the chapter is that when you’re in midst of turbulent times, when you’re hurting, feeling defeated, lonely - it’s so easy to make rash or bad decisions. Those type of decisions that seem so right in the moment, but absolutely terrible in hindsight.

Get into bad relationships. Dive into “comfort” things - sleeping…eating…buying…drinking. Act out of anger or fear. That’s small ball of flame catching fire.

Jesus knows exactly what we need - because those attacks are coming. We need something not only to protect us from danger of the arrow itself, but something to put out the flame - a shield of faith.

The shield that would have come to mind for the Ephesians is one used by the Roman soldiers, a large rectangular shield, 4 feet by 2 1/2 feet.

It was curved, and the leather on it would have been wetted prior to battle in order to extinguish enemies flaming arrows.

When a company of soldiers put their shields together, it would literally form a wall of protection - this formation was known as the Testudo formation. Testudo is the Latin for tortoise - it was tortoise formation.

It’s important to know why it’s so essential we take this up. 1 Peter 1:3-9-

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

You will suffer grief in all kinds of trials - that doesn’t sound like very much fun.

But note what Peter says suffering grief through trials: In all this you greatly rejoice...These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Let me give you some examples that demonstrate how this plays out

C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

Lewis’ wife, Joy, died after a long battle with cancer. As he grieved over the first several weeks, he wrote about his experiences. And what he discovered was that he was very much doubting God. Not God’s existence, but whether or not God was good…was God just some petty tyrant who enjoyed watching us suffer.

He shows amazing insight into what was going on within himself. He’s trying to figure out why he’s doubting so much - because he already knew that pain, death and sorrow happened on a daily basis, all around him - and it never caused him to doubt. He knew from the Bible that suffering was part of the deal.

Listen to what he writes: I’ve got nothing that I hadn’t bargained for. Of course it is different when the thing happens to oneself, not to others, and in reality, not in imagination. Yes; but should it, for a sane man, make quite such a difference as this? No. And it wouldn’t for a man whose faith had been real faith and whose concern for other people’s sorrows had been real concern. The case is too plain. If my house has collapsed at one blow, that is because it was a house of cards. The faith which ‘took these things into account’ was not faith but imagination...I thought I trusted the rope until it mattered to me whether it would bear me. Now it matters, and I find I didn’t (trust the rope at all).

Amazing personal insight - he was fine seeing other people experience sorrow around him, never caused him to doubt - but the moment he has to endure painful suffering…my faith is a house of cards, one blow...

But even more importantly is what he comes to realize about God:

God has not been trying an experiment on my faith or love in order to find out their quality. He knew it already. It was I who didn't...He always knew that my temple was a house of cards. His only way of making me realize the fact was to knock it down.

C.S. Lewis’ shield of faith was grower bigger and stronger as God refined his faith through the experience of his grief. He learned he could trust goodness of God in midst of genuine sorrow, not just imagined difficulties.

We see a similar example with Jesus and the disciples. At the Last Supper, night before he is to be crucified, the disciples have all proclaimed their undying devotion to him, willingness to die with him (Ok, except for Judas).

Jesus knows their faith isn’t that strong. In Luke 22:31, he tells Simon Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.”

Peter, Satan is coming on the attack. He wants to sift you like wheat - separate the wheat from the chaff, who has real faith and who’s just a pretender.

But did you notice, Satan has to ask! The disciples are under Jesus’ power and authority. He is Lord! So why does Jesus allow it? To refine faith of his disciples. To grow, strengthen it - by revealing where it’s weak!

Look what he says next: Luke 22:32 - But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.

In one way, Peter absolutely fails - if you remember story, he denies knowing Jesus three times when confronted. When rooster crows, he realizes what an utter failure he’s been, how terribly weak his faith really was (house of cards), breaks down, weeping bitterly. Hard lesson. But a powerful one.

Because more importantly, he doesn’t fail. Jesus prayed for him (which is wonderful to know, Jesus is that vested in our faith) - notice what Jesus says, and when you have turned back…when you have turned back (can you imagine what that meant to Peter as he was weeping - I’m sure he was so filled with doubt, embarrassment.)

Simon, you’re going to fail miserably. You have no idea. It’s going to be humiliating. But you’ll make it back. Your faith is there - it’s got a long way to go, but it’s there.

And then you’ll be able to strengthen your brothers in their faith. And they’ll need you to (Testudo formation!). Jesus wasn’t going to allow Satan to sift the disciples like wheat in what I’m sure was vulnerable - a flammable - moment.

Attacks are coming. And they are dangerous. Take seriously that there really are spiritual forces of evil working against us, firing flaming arrows, Get ready to die!

As I was preparing this sermon I remembered one of the most sobering moments - Young Life camp, summer staff at Frontier Ranch, our head leaders…how few of us would still be walking in faith 20 years later.

All these college students eagerly serving Jesus - how can that be?!? (Suffering trials, slowly drifting away, getting too caught up in the things of the world). Because there are spiritual forces of evil - shooting flaming arrows.

This is why Peter says, “How precious our faith is…worth greater than gold”. When something is that precious, you protect it, you treasure it.

Jesus wants us with him. He wants us to experience all the glory and honor of eternal life with him. He’s so ready to share the inheritance - all riches he has stored up for us in heaven.

That’s why he wants our faith strong - “you who through faith are shield by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed.”

Main Point: Make the commitment to engage the battle by committing to deeper trust of Jesus, to surrender more fully to his person and promises.

Spiritual Disciplines - A couple of ways to grow your faith in Jesus.

Do the Disciplines. Faith in action. As James says, faith without works is dead.

Hear the teachings of Jesus, but don’t put them into practice, we’re not really trusting him - trusting something else.

Worship. Meditate on Scripture. Bible Study. Spend time daily with Jesus - let these habits shape and form you.

Spiritual Formation Group - working on our Rule of Life, disciplines we’re committed to.

One specific discipline you can do every day- Prayer is turning our attention to God in faith.

We’re trusting God is present, and that I can have a genuine conversation with him.

Great way to learn how to pray is what Jesus taught us, use the Lord’s Prayer.

Inspiration

Sometimes I think we have wrong notion of faith…we can just will ourselves (I believe, I believe, I believe). But faith is all about trust, it’s much more of an act of surrender

You trust chair will hold you sitting on it, you surrender by putting your weight on it

Trust fall exercise - close your eyes, lean back and fall

Goal of faith in Ephesians 3:16 - I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts. Opening ourselves up so that Christ would dwell in us. Surrendering our guard, our control - so his presence, his power would reside in us.

It’s very opposite of a shield - we don’t trust Satan, that’s why when it comes to him, it’s shields up! But for Jesus - Here I am, I’m all yours. Teach me. Show me. Lead me.

To grow in faith to point that we know, we absolutely know, that I am one in whom Christ dwells - What a shield that would be!