YEAH GODS…FOLLOW UP FROM LAST SUNDAY…BOB BEAVER’S VOICEMAIL…EMAILS FROM BOB FLECKEN, LORI HONEA, JESSICA BIGHORN…
“THE MAN/WOMAN
BEHIND THE BADGE”
LAST STAND AT SKULL HILL - PART 5
JUNE 15, 2008 – FATHER’S DAY
REVIEW:
Part 1 - THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY: Jesus stood alone so we can stand together!
Part 2 - TRUE GRIT: Truth is to live your life honestly by what God says!
Part 3 – OPEN RANGE: Being right with God, I can become right with others!
Part 4 – THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON: The Good News, of Peace with God, keeps us READY for battle!
TODAY…Part 5…
Ephesians 6:16 (NASB) in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Pray for protection…Father God….demons flee!
Here Paul…our FAITH = our SHIELD…
Two Types of Roman shields: Ceremonial Shield vs. Battle Shield
Roman Ceremonial Shield:
• for public parades and ceremonies
• small round shield
• decorative piece of equipment
• decorated with etchings, engravings, beautiful to see
• never used in battle, just too small
• offered little to no protection
• not designed for battle, but for show
BTW…NOT shield Paul referring to, but IS shield that many Christians are toting around for protection. Hmmmmmm!!!!
SHIELD: thyreos (thü-re-o’s) (from thyra = door) x 1 in entire Bible = a shield, a large oblong, four cornered shield, Romans called it a scutum.
Roman Battle Shield:
• worn by heavy-armed infantry
• adapted to form of human body
• main form of complete body protection
• single handed combat = soldier completely protected
• deflected arrows, darts, missiles
• protected soldier from hand held weapons
• much larger
• oval shape or rectangular shaped like a DOOR
• semi-cylindrical in shape
• 2.5’ wide x 4.5’ tall
• covered soldier, large enough to reach from the chin to the knees
• protected most of the body
• light enough to be carried in a long battle
• multiple layers of flat strips of right angled wood/wicker work/animal hide glued/tightly woven together
• almost as strong as steel
• edge bound with light sheet bronze or iron
• central raised boss was heavy bronze or iron = weapon = thrust into enemy’s face or chest -> injury/disabled, then sword thrust forward into enemy’s body
• hand grip and an inner strap, hold close to body, leave other arm free for other weapons
• attached to small clip on soldier’s loin belt around waist = readily at hand in case he needed it quickly
• extremely tough and exceptionally durable
• VERY IMPORTANT THAT WAS TAKEN CARE OF
• to keep it in shape, EVERY AM, after saturating a piece of cloth with oil, he would begin to rub a heavy ointment of oil into the leather portion of the shield to keep it soft, supple and pliable
• If failed to provide care, certain death in battle for the shield would dry out become hard, stiff and brittle
• soak in water before going on battlefield, even if flaming arrows hit, they were extinguished upon impact by the wet surface
• large size of the shields allowed the soldiers to form a "testudo’’ (Latin for “tortoise”) \tes-tü-dō\ or shield WALL/SHELL that could protect them during an ADVANCE!
As we’ll see…our shields of faith TOO should be able to cover all of us, extinguish Satan’s flaming arrows, enable to gain more ground and be hooked TOGETHER, for battle!
OF ALL THE ARMOR OF GOD, WHY IS OUR FAITH OUR SHIELD? Answer is in the answers to these 3 ARMOR questions: What does it look like? How does it protect me? How do I put it on?
1. What is faith?
Hebrews 11:1 (NASB) …faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things NOT seen.
• = the conviction of things that are NOT seen in our lives!
• IOW, even though we don’t see it, we TRUST in it!
Faith is trusting God above all else!
Proverbs 3:5-8 (NASB)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do NOT lean on your OWN understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
Do NOT be wise in YOUR OWN eyes;
Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your body
And refreshment to your bones.
FAITH = believing God’s character: He is who He says He is!
FAITH = believing God’s promises: He will do what He says He will do!
FAITH = believing God’s Word: You are who He says you are! (SEE MY 1-27-08 WHO ARE YOU SERMON!)
When Paul begins to list the pieces of our spiritual armor, he starts with BELT OF TRUTH. He says in verse 14, “Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH” Earlier…soldiers would attach their shield to their belt!
Our FAITH is attached to God’s TRUTH! The only way you can TRUST
God and WHO God is and WHAT God will do for us, is through our understanding of His TRUTH!
The STRENGTH of our faith is directly tied to our knowledge and understanding of God’s TRUTH. This is why Paul calls it the shield of faith instead of the belt of faith.
HERE ME…GOD’S TRUTH IS NOT ATTACHED TO OUR FAITH; OUR FAITH IS ATTACHED TO GOD’S TRUTH!
If we fail to LIVE OUR LIVES HONESTLY BY WHAT GOD SAYS, it’s only a matter of time before our FAITH will begin to fail.
Why Paul said in Romans 10:17 that “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ.”
TRUTH and FAITH are so tied together that where there is no TRUTH, there is no FAITH! FAITH IN GOD IS GROUNDED IN THE TRUTH OF GOD!!!
And Roman soldiers, when they enlisted into the military, they were issued EVERTHING they needed for battle. As mentioned earlier, once they received their shields, they had to learn to use them and take care of them.
And as believers…our FAITH has already been given to us! Paul…Romans 12:3 “…God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” How much? Enough! Enough to ensure that we are protected in all the battles we will go through! We need to use it and take care of it! God’s given us enough faith to do what we need to do!
Earlier…soldiers…rise early…first thing…oil down their shields in order to make sure they were ready for battle…soaked them in water so they could put out the flaming arrows…DAILY ROUTINE…ensured protection!
If we ignore our faith, allowing it to go undeveloped, when a challenge comes, our faith won’t stand up under the attack! How do we take care of our faith? How do we develop it? Any guesses???
We KNOW, GROW and GO!......We KNOW God personally! We GROW in biblical community! We GO live generously!
“Past victories don’t always guarantee future victories!” Just as each battle on the battlefield is different, so are our spiritual battles. Satan changes his tactics as we continue to grow and learn how to use our armor, so…we have to keep our faith alive and active and strong!
1. What is faith? Faith is trusting God above all else!
2. How does our FAITH help us in battle?
First time Paul indicates the EFFECT of a particular piece of armor!
Our faith extinguishes Satan’s “flaming arrows” AS we take new ground for Christ!
ROMAN BATTLE SHIELD SERVED TWO PURPOSES: PROTECTION & ADVANCEMENT!
Three types of arrows used by the Roman military:
1. plain arrows – like arrows you’d shoot from a bow today.
2. Arrows that were dipped into tar, set on fire, and then shot through the air… with brush all around…soldiers intentionally try to catch the arrows into their shields…so they’d stick and the flames would go out…versus just deflecting the flaming arrows and brush catching fire!
3. Paul speaks of…fire-bearing arrows made from long, slender pieces of cane, filled with combustible fluids which exploded upon impact…. reserved to inflict damage upon a fortified place or an encampment. If an army had fortified its position so that the enemy could not break in to destroy it, then the enemy would revert to using these deadly arrows of fire. Because these arrows looked harmless, some soldiers made the mistake of ignoring the attacks until the arrows hit their targets and exploded. Often in ancient Warfare…“flaming arrows” were launched in GREAT NUMBER at the beginning of an attack. The idea was not only to injure, but to shoot at all sides with a massive number of arrows, and thus cause confusion and panic!
What are our “flaming arrows” today? What are those persistent demonic efforts that Satan uses to weaken us through fear and unbelief? Remember…as we talk about these….Satan is always changing his attack strategies in attempt to gain a victory.
• Targets mind with flaming arrows like bad thoughts, evil thoughts, imaginations, fantasies and temptations
Paul …Romans 12:2 (NASB) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
• Targets hearts with emotional flaming arrows like anger, rage, fear, anxiety, worry, sadness, grief, jealousy, hurt, disappointment, even hatred
• Targets our beliefs with flaming arrows like self-doubt, unbelief in God or His Word, condemnation and guilt
Paul…2 Corinthians 10:5 (NASB) We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
• Targets feelings with flaming arrows like resentment, hopelessness, desperation and depression
• Targets fears with flaming arrows like fear of failure, fear of success
• Targets failures with flaming arrows like relationship failures, career failures, marriage failures, even failing God!
• Targets TRUTH with flaming arrows like lies and insults
• Targets our hearts with flaming rrows like pride and lusts of the eyes and lusts of the flesh (1 John 2:15-17)
Have got to RECOGNIZE WHEN these arrows are being shot at us and see them for WHAT they are…attacks from the enemy! When they come our way, we need to quench ‘em with our FAITH! Instead of REACTING AFTER the flaming arrow has hit us, need to SEE THEM COMING and RAISE OUR SHIELDS OF FAITH so they’ll stick and be extinguished!
OUR ARROWS LATELY….Dena and I have been under attack for almost a year….enemy has been trying to distract us…THOSE CLOSEST TO US…prodigal son, Dena’s kidneys scare, Dena’s mom is very ill, Little Randy’s Crash…
In our Home Group…couple I shared about last Sunday…at Germann & Greenfield, Kim Courter Accident Monday am….T-boned by a 80K lb. semi-truck & trailer and WALKED out of the ER 4 hours later…in ER, Dave says THIS just totally confirms our FAITH!
David, just delivered from hand of Saul…Psalm 18:1-3 & 35 (NASB) …The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand upholds me; And Your gentleness makes me great.
Other purpose…to GAIN GROUND on the enemy. To put our shield up while we are running away is NOT the picture that Paul is trying to give us. The picture he is painting is one of a soldier holding his shield up for protection while he is steadily advancing and taking over the enemy’s territory.
Our well-developed FAITH positions us to MOVE FORWARD in GOD’S POWER! Not backwards, but forwards as we face off with the enemy. We STAND our ground FIRMLY, and having successfully defended it, MOVE FORWARD!
Don’t think the devil will just lie down and hand over his territory. Our faith has to be OUT FRONT, an OFFENSIVE WEAPON!!! Our faith was never meant to be held next to our side, or behind our backs, OR IN OUR POCKETS, or ONLY TAKEN UP ON SUNDAYS!!! It is meant to COMPLETELY COVER and PROTECT us AS we are marching forward TAKING NEW GROUND for the Kingdom of God! AMEN?
Peter…1 Peter 1:3-5 (NASB) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God THROUGH FAITH for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Not my power, not your power, not your parent’s power, God’s power! And being shielded under God’s power…VICTORY IS GUARANTEED!
WE MAY LOSE A BATTLE NOW AND THEN, BUT WE CANNOT LOSE THE WAR!
1. What is faith? Faith is trusting God above all else!
2. How does our FAITH help us in battle? Our faith extinguishes Satan’s flaming arrows, AS we take new ground for Christ!
3. How do we “take up” faith?
Together, we focus on God’s faithfulness!
David…Psalm 62 (NASB)
1 My soul waits in silence for God only;
From Him is my salvation.
2 He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.
5 My soul, wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God my salvation and my glory rest;
The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times, O people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us.
Psalm 91 (NASB)
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!"
3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.
5 You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;
6 Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
7 A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But it shall not approach you.
8 You will only look on with your eyes
And see the recompense of the wicked.
9 For you have made the LORD, my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place.
10 No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent.
11 For He will give His angels charge concerning you,
To guard you in all your ways.
12They will bear you up in their hands,
That you do not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.
14 "Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.
15 "He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 "With a long life I will satisfy him
And let him see My salvation." WHOOOO………
Want to TAKE UP YOUR FAITH SHIELD? IT’S SIMPLE! FOCUS ON GOD’S FAITHFULNESS! Don’t focus on your lack of faith and pray that it would be built somehow! That DOES NOT WORK! Focus on God’s greatness and faithfulness, how faithful He is to you GROWS YOUR FAITH! The faithfulness of His promises! The faithfulness of His patience! The faithfulness of His love! That builds your faith!
Jesus challenged Peter…Matthew 14:28-30…to get out of the boat and walk on water. When Peter focused on Jesus and the faithfulness of Christ and the power of Christ, he was able to walk on the water. That’s incredible! But then when he tried to focus on the circumstances around him and how much faith he had, he started to sink.
If we’re going to “TAKE UP” faith we have to focus on God’s faithfulness. That’s the shield that extinguishes Satan’s flaming arrows. Think how faithful God is to you and how He always will be. He’s going to do it for all eternity!
AND WE DO IT…TOGETHER!!!!!
Earlier…Roman shields made so would lock together with other soldier’s shield in battle…wall of shields marching towards the enemy…testudo. ONE soldier could carry ONE shield to fight ONE enemy by himself, but NOT big enough to take on an entire army. When threatened by a mass of opposition, they would walk very close to one another in one long line, side by side. On the sides of their massive shields were small hinges. One at a time, these soldiers would begin fastening their shield to the next soldier’s shield, and then to the next soldier’s shield and then the next, and so on. After all their shields were securely fastened to one another, they would begin marching in unison toward the opposing forces. Because their shields were connected, it looked like a huge wall of armor was moving across the field towards the enemy. When soldiers marched together like this, it positioned them to march right up against the enemy, rarely losing one of their own.
Great picture for us as believers! We need to encourage each other as we lock our shields together. WE ARE NOT IN THIS ALONE! AND IF YOU THINK YOU CAN GO IT ALONE, YOU’RE A FOOL!!!! We fight the battles TOGETHER! That’s the joy of being the church, the body of Christ – we’re BETTER TOGETHER!
JESUS STOOD ALONE SO WE CAN STAND TOGETHER! He said ...Matthew 16:18 (NASB) …I will build My church; and the gates of Hades (THE GATES OF HELL) will not overpower it!
When we learn to march in unison and walk with each other, our FAITH SHIELDS HOOKED TOGETHER…positions us to make advances and inroads into the enemy’s territory THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN MADE BEFORE!
It’s time to get connected with God or with this church! Our ConnectU ministry can help you with that. Fill out back The Card and put in offering box!
Listen!!!! Know why Satan attacks the Church with such intensity? He only needs one or two of you to have your shields fail for him to penetrate our defenses and cause damage. Only one or two of you! I ain’t gonna be the one on the line with a shield that is not properly conditioned and ends up failing!
John said…1 John 4:4 (NASB) greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world!
1. What is faith? Faith is trusting God above all else!
2. How does our FAITH help us in battle? Our faith extinguishes Satan’s flaming arrows, AS we take new ground for Christ!
3. How do we “take up” faith? Together, we focus on God’s faithfulness!
BIG IDEA:
Together, our FAITH shields us from attack
while advancing in the heat of battle!
So no Western Movie Title today….just THE MAN/WOMAN BEHIND THE BADGE….watch this clip from The Andy Griffith Show…Deputy Barney Fife STANDS FIRM BEHIND HIS BADGE…
VIDEO CLIP: “The Andy Griffith Show” 1962, Season 3, Episode 7 “Lawman Barney” Deputy Barney Fife says: [after the two farmers crowd him when he asks them to move their vegetable stand outside of the town limits] “Yeah, you two are bigger than me. But this BADGE represents a lot of people. And all of them together are bigger than both of you. Now, are you going to move along, or not?”
Barney Fife understood Matthew 17:19 (NASB) …if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ’Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO YOU!
And Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:1-30 (NASB) experienced the power of God’s faithfulness in battle…CLOSE WITH THIS STORY….
2…some came and reported to Jehoshaphat, saying, "A great multitude is coming against you 3 Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned his attention to seek the LORD; 4 gathered together to seek help from the LORD;
6 JEHOSHAPHAT FOCUSES ON GOD’S FAITHFULNESS…"O LORD, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You. 7"Did You not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever? 8 "They have lived in it, and have built You a sanctuary there for Your name, 9 ’Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and deliver us.’ 12 "O our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You." FOCUS!
14 Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah 15 said, "Listen, all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: thus says the LORD to you, ’Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s.
17 ’You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem ’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the LORD is with you."
18 Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD.
20 They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness…Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust in the LORD your God and you will be established. FAITH IS TRUSTING GOD ABOVE ALL ELSE!
21 he appointed those who sang to the LORD and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, "Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting." 22 When they began singing and praising, the LORD set ambushes against those who had come against Judah; so they were routed (stricken). 23 they helped to destroy one another. 24 no one had escaped. GO GOD!!!
25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found much among them, including goods, garments and valuable things which they took for themselves, more than they could carry. And they were three days taking the spoil because there was so much.
26 Then on the fourth day they assembled…they blessed the LORD. 27 returning to Jerusalem with joy, for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies. 28 They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres and trumpets to the house of the LORD. VICTORY PARTY!
29 And the dread (fear) of God was on all the kingdoms of the lands when they heard that the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. THAT’S MY KING!
30So the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God gave him rest on all sides.
Barney Fife told his enemy, “…this badge represents something way bigger than you…”
Jahaziel answered Jehoshaphat’s prayer saying, “Do not fear or be dismayed; go face your enemy, for the LORD is with you."
WANNA BE THE MAN OR WOMAN BEHIND THE BADGE? BEHIND THE SHIELD? Then STAND FIRM! HEAD ON WITH YOUR SHIELD OF FAITH, READY FOR THE ARROWS?
I gotta ask ya…Who will STAND FIRM with me today, buckled in your belt of TRUTH, breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS secure, GOOD NEWS boots on your feet, FAITH SHIELDS in hand (AND NOT A CEREMONIAL SHIELD EITHER!!!) and SHIELDS locked TOGETHER….and declare our VICTORY against the flaming arrows of the devil? STAND!!! LET ME HEAR YOUR VICTORY SHOUT!!!!
1 John 5:4 (NASB) For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our FAITH!
Like “those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out BEFORE the army”…LET’S WORSHIP…..
