“Shield of Faith”Originally preached by Dr. David Platt at

Secret Church 7 on 11/06/09

Adapted by Rev. Chas. Pendleton

for

Fitchburg Nazarene Church

July 19, 2015

READ: Ephesians 6:10-17

Where we have been:

The Belt of Truth

Who Christ is Who we are in Christ

The Breastplate of Righteousness

God sees us as righteous (because of Christ)

The Spirit of Christ forms righteousness within us

Feet Shod with the Preparation of

The Gospel

Not ashamed of the Gospel All Redeemed are Ambassadors

of the Gospel

Today we will look at the shield of faith.

If an adversary were shooting flaming arrows at you, what would you do?

I absolutely love movies where the opposing sides use spears and arrows and swords. Any turkey can fire a gun at you and end your battle, but it takes courage, strength, and agility to wield the old-fashioned weapons of war.

In these movies, I love it when the hero of the story holds up their shield, and the arrow (flaming, or not) ends up either bouncing off of the shield, or sticking into it.

Ephesians 6:16 told us,

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

During our series on Spiritual Warfare we have seen Paul using savage imagery for the battle which is being waged against our souls, by the enemy of our souls.

One of those is this passage in Ephesians 6, with Paul using the image of a soldier at war.

The other is the passage in 1 Peter 5, where Peter individually addresses both the elders within the church, and those who are “younger in the Lord.”

Then he says to all of them: (1 Pet. 5:8-11)

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the

world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

NOW COMES THE ENCOURGEMENT …

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

… a roaring lion looking for someone to devour

Satan wants to “chew you up, and spit out your bones” after he’s done knawing on them.

In both 1 st Peter and Ephesians, Paul says that it is faith that wins the victory.

Here in Ephesians, Paul calls it the Shield of Faith.

While engaged in Spiritual Warfare it is important for us to realize that no matter how long we have been Christians – the battle belongs to the Lord.

We may lose some battles, and have to repent of some way that we have sinned.

We will win some battles in this spiritual warfare too, but we must never think that it is we who have defeated the enemy of our souls.

READ: Galatians 2:17-21

I have died!

Christ now lives within me!!

I now live by trusting (faith) in the Son of God!!!

Dead people don’t win any battles!!! Never have – never will!

But for those of us who have Christ living and reigning within us – If we are “In Christ” like we talked about when we studied the Belt of Truth; and He is “In Us”, then we have no need to try to win any battle – He wins the battles for us.

Turn with me to-------------

READ sections of Hebrews 11:1-40

We are SO caught up with “needing it all now!”

SO caught up in living lives of ease!!!

Take up your faith in God’s character!

Satan will cause you to doubt, to question the character and the goodness and the greatness of God.

How do you fight that?

Do you say demon of doubt be gone?

No!

What you do is, you cling to the truth of God, in Psalm 84, and you say:

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.

You cling to the reality that you have a Father who gave His One and Only Son for you, and that He will give you anything you need.

If God is for us, who can be against us?

You have faith in His character.

You have faith in God’s promises.

When Satan says you are condemned,

you say:

Romans 8:1-3

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because

through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.

When Satan says you are alone,

you say:

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

When you are afraid, Satan says you need to be afraid.

And you say:

Isaiah 43:1

But now, this is what the LORD says—

He who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”

God tells you – I have redeemed you.

(Increased excitement!!!)

If you look further down that chapter you see God saying that he will be with you when you pass through the rivers, and they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire you will not be burned because He is the Lord, our God. We are precious and honored in His sight. And He loves us. And He takes care of His own.

You hold up the shield of faith when the devil brings flaming arrows at you.

Don’t start renouncing him.

Just start loving the Word, and he will flee.

The shield of faith promises faith in God’s power.

His power! God’s power!!

In Ephesians 6 Paul is telling us...

There’s no arrow aimed at us from the evil one that is above or beyond the power of God. No not one!

Because God loves you, and has sent His Son to die for you – and because of the power and promise of the resurrection of the only begotten of God…

YOU can have a faith that quenches flaming arrows!

You as what these arrows are:

his schemes his temptations his lies his deceptions his attacks from any and every angle.

Now let me put something out on the table from personal experience.

It is my experience that when we are taking significant steps of faith, whenever we begin to press on in sanctification and make progress in our walk with the Lord, we are going to face arrows from the evil one.

Whenever we are invading enemy territory, brothers and sisters, the more you get involved in the Great Commission, the more you will face flaming arrows from the evil one.

Are you sitting back doing nothing about the spreading of the gospel in the world?

- then you’re not a problem for the kingdom of darkness.

But you start proclaiming the gospel; being bold within your neighborhood; sharing Christ at work or in the marketplace; you’re going to face arrows.

When we’re exposing Satan for who he really is, we are going to be facing arrows.

When we repent of long-held patterns of sin, or unholy relationships; we are going to be facing arrows.

What do I mean by repent??

A couple stops living together, moves out and is honoring God, don’t think, okay, that means everything’s going to be easier. The flaming arrows of the evil one will attack you.

Most often when we pursue righteousness things are going to get harder, not easier.

And when God is preparing us, individually or corporately for a great work for His glory— when God’s about to do something great in and through your life, just know that there are likely flaming arrows that are headed right toward you.

There’s a bull’s-eye on your back.

This is a picture of Elijah right before he does battle with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Soon he will call down fire from heaven to prove to all of Israel that God is God. And I love it!!

In 1 Kings 18, right in the middle of the chapter when Ahab comes up to him and says you are a troubler of Israel. I love that he was known for making trouble for the kingdom of darkness.

Like, don’t you just want your face on a wanted poster in hell?

Yes, he makes trouble for us. That’s the picture.

2 Corinthians 10:4

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

As we end – let me re-direct us back to Hebrews 11.

Unless you have the NEW LIVING TRANSLATION in front of you, these words might be a little different than what you are used to – BUT I like how it is expressed in this translation.

“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.”

It’s really easy in the midst of battle to burrow down in a fox hole and cry,

– Why me? – Woe is me! – I’m doomed!!!

But the Shield of Faith will dowse the flaming darts of the Evil One in your life and

cause you to remain victorious in Christ as you do Spiritual battle.

PRAYER