Faith under Fire
Ephesians 6:13-16 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 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.
Intro: We are nearing the end of a 6-month series through the book of Ephesians. Paul leaves his readers with words that encourage them to use the tools God has given them to stand their ground against the enemy. The belt of truth was first given when they responded to the good news about Jesus, acknowledging the fact that every human needs God and His forgiveness that Jesus provided through His death. Truth is not an invention of man, but is reality from God Himself. The breastplate of righteousness was also imparted when they confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior and believed in their hearts that God raised Him from the dead. They were brought into right standing with God because they put their entire trust in Him. The sandals of peace came when they made peace with God by calling on the Lord in repentance. Having peace with God brings the peace of God into our hearts and lives, helping us be peacemakers as Jesus said we should be. His peace gives us traction for action as we stand against the enemy.
-Today I’d like to look at v.16 of Eph. 6, which introduces the shield of faith. In the days of Roman warfare the flaming arrow was a dreaded weapon. This arrow had a heavy iron tip which was dipped into pitch and set on fire. Even the speed of the arrow in the air would not extinguish the flame. It became a deadly flaming missile. These arrows would cause panic within the opposing ranks, especially when they lodged in a shield, causing the shield to burn. A frightened soldier might throw down his burning shield leaving himself, and those around him, unprotected from arrows and spears. You can imagine the resulting chaos.
-Such a deadly weapon needed a solid defense, which is where the shield comes in. This big shield stood 4-feet high. It was made of 3 layers of wood, with linen sandwiched between each layer. It also had an outer layer of leather or animal hide. To hold it all together a bronze strip was wrapped around the entire edge. If it was hit by a flaming arrow this shield would still burn. So, before they went into battle, the soldiers would soak the shields in water. The wet linen and leather would stop the shield from igniting, even when there was a flaming arrow embedded into it.
-Sometimes we lose the meaning of things through over use. When something becomes a catchword it can lose meaning. So I like to interchange words sometimes to get a clearer picture of Scripture. As I think about the shield of faith, I put in the word trust – shield of trust. What is a shield of trust or faith? Soldiers trusted that these shields would extinguish and stop the flaming arrows. But Paul, of course, is writing about something spiritual here. What does it mean to be shielded or protected by faith or trust? Psalm 91:4 says that God’s truth or faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. If we have faith in God’s faithfulness, we will stand strong in the battle. Don’t have faith in your own faith – have faith in God! If we actively trust God’s trustworthiness, the enemy will not find an opening in our lives to shoot in his flaming arrows. The arrows might represent any spiritual attacks or struggles brought on by the forces of evil around us. So here is the main thought of today’s message:
Proposition: The more we trust God to sustain us, the more protection we will have against the enemy of our souls. The greater the trust, the greater our shield against the attacks of the enemy.
TS: So, let’s look at some areas of trust for a few minutes that will help us beef up our defense against the flaming arrows launched by the dark forces of Satan’s kingdom.
I. Trusting God in the face of condemnation
-Those with the gift of accusation also imagine themselves as having the gift of discernment into the motives of others. It really is amazing how we often credit ourselves with good intentions when we fail. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.” However, when somebody else does something wrong, we assume they planned the whole thing out and were hoping for the very worst for us.
-When we accuse someone of something, we often assume that we know why they did what they did. We presume to have some special insight into their heart and into their situation. God can and may give us such information, but not to use in making accusations against others. There is already one who accuses us, and he’d just love to sign you up as an apprentice accuser!
-We looked at a verse a few weeks ago, but it really gives some insight into how the enemy rolls. Revelation 12:10-11 10 “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Another way to look at this is that they trusted God with their sense of self-value and worth in the face of this onslaught of accusations against them. They trusted not in their own goodness, but in the work Jesus did on the cross, dying to place them in right standing with God. And that was the word of their testimony – Look what the Lord has done! He forgave me! He delivered me! I am not a lost cause! I am not a failure – thanks to Jesus and what He did when He died in my place!
-Accusations are intended to cause pain and stress and doubt. They are meant to breed insecurity, suspicion, and just weaken our faith. Ultimately, when we lose faith we stop believing God and start believing our lying enemy. These flaming arrows can cause a person to begin doubting God – His word or His heart, maybe even His power. Flaming arrows can strike fear into our hearts and cause us to lose our focus. That is why we must keep the shield of faith right in front of us, soaked with the water of God’s word and His Spirit.
-Here are a few reminders from the Bible to soak your shield with when the flaming arrows of condemnation come your way.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 10:14 …by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
II. Trusting God in the face of temptation
-It is no surprise that we have an enemy who uses this tactic against us at some of the worst possible times. Sometimes the temptation comes in the form of taking the easy way out. Just tell a small lie and it will get you out of a whole world of trouble. Or just take that as partial payment to yourself. They don’t need it and won’t miss it, and you deserve it. Or people will think better of you if you wear this brand or drive that car. Who cares about the price?
-The first lie we find in the Bible is spoken in the Garden of Eden through the serpent. “You won’t really die! God is holding out on you. He doesn’t really care about you. He’s just trying to keep the best of everything for Himself.” Are we willing to trust God and His way of doing things, or do we think we know better than He does?
1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
III. Trusting God in the face of adversity
-When things just don’t go the way I think they should go, (suffering, tragedy, chaos, etc.) what happens to my trust level?
-The kind of faith that serves as a shield to us is the kind that recognizes God’s character and nature and believes that He will never leave us or forsake us – just as He promised! And one way God fulfills that promise is through other members of His family whom He places in our lives.
-See, these 4-ft high shields were built for more than just individual use. They were designed to lock together to form a wall of defense. Soldiers could also raise several of them above this wall of shields at an angle and be protected from the flurry of arrows that could come from an enemy who was shooting from higher ground or arching their arrows so they would come down on top of them.
-We need to realize that God gave us a family so we could help one another and interlock our faith through encouragement and support. You weren’t designed to be a 1-man army! You were prepared to be part of a team where we all work together. When one member suffers, all suffer. When one member rejoices, all rejoice together! This is so important to remember – especially when we face trouble and grief in this life. We can trust God, and we can also lean on one another!
Conclusion: As we wrap this up, how is your faith shield doing? Is it stopping the flaming arrows of condemnation, temptation, or adversity? Maybe your shield seems a little dry today. Remember, soldiers soaked these shields before battle to they would quench the fiery arrows when they hit, and not catch things on fire. We can soak in God’s word, and in His presence. The more we spend time with Him, the stronger our faith will be – the more we will trust Him! If your faith seems a little weak today, and you’d like prayer for more trust, stronger faith in God, I’d love to pray for you.
