Shield of Faith
Ephesians 6:16
http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/shieldoffaith.html
"Above all" = more important than the other articles in the armor as we dress for success. But why?
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please him:
When you put on the breastplate of righteousness you are putting your faith in the God of righteousness. Shoes of the gospel? Only by faith in the God of the gospel. Girdle of truth? There is no truth outside of the God who is truth!
It is the shield that protects the rest of the armor...out in front, it is the operating force which makes the rest possible. When properly placed, v. 16 says the shield will quench ALL the fiery darts of Satan. So, the devil has no strategy, tactic, or device, that the shield of faith which God has given us will not defeat! That's saying a lot, because Satan has quite an arsenal, a quiver full. And when they hit their mark, we can become a casualty, suffering loss or even defeat.
A wounded soldier is not the same as a dead soldier. You may know someone who is a believer who has been hit. They are down, wounded, and suffering. What do we do now? Kick them in the side with guilt over why they've fallen away from God? Or a helping hand up? How about the first aid of compassion and understanding, and forgiveness, knowing it could be us!
Wounded doesn't mean you can't be used. Sometimes when we cite the qualifications of pastor or deacon we accidentally give the mistaken idea that these things apply to everyone. Listen, we're a hospital for sinners, not a display case for saints. This is where people are to be healed, not turned away because they aren't healthy enough!
The Roman shield was quite large, about 2' x 4' - made of wood, and covered in tough leather. Sometimes the leather would be soaked in water before battle, to help resist the effect of fiery arrows. The edges of the shield were beveled so they could be interlocked together with other shields. A row of soldiers could kneel beside each other, lock in, and literally form a wall!
Imagine what we would do as a church if the worst happened ... doomsday. Though we are safe from the wrath to come, Scripture indicates the shadow of what's to come will cast to this side of the rapture. We may not be immune from some of the hardships of the end. I imagine we would help one another. I imagine we would pool our resources. I imagine we would protect one another. I imagine we would lock shields!
So, let's do so now! Is there not a cause? Is there not doom falling around us? Are we not in a battle?
Paul says pick up the shield of faith. What kind of faith? Well, it all begins with saving faith, but Paul is talking to believers. Perhaps he's referring to daily, practical faith in our daily lives.
1 John 5:4
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Daily faith for the believer is the assurance that God is with us, and His Word is true. It is reliance and confidence! And the basis of our faith must always be the Word of God. [recent FB blogging] We can't pick and choose which parts of the Bible we believe, cafeteria style.
1. Daily faith is rooted in fact, not feeling.
It's not about emotions and inner impressions. "I just have faith this is gonna work." God wasn't in it, and they say, "Maybe I didn't have enough faith." The problem wasn't in the amount of their faith, but in the object of their faith.
ill.--Sometimes a little child will run out on an iced over pond...sometimes they get a surprise...sometimes it ends tragically. The problem isn't in their faith, they had a lot of faith...too much, actually! The problem was in the basis of their faith...they placed faith in the wrong object.
We need to place our faith in facts, not feelings. Don't trust your instincts on things the Bible is specific about. God will never contradict His Word. "Feelings come and feelings go, for feelings are deceiving. My trust is in the Word of God, naught else is worth believing."
Three men were walking on a wall,
Feeling, Faith and Fact.
When Feeling took an awful fall,
And Faith was taken back.
So close was Faith to Feeling,
He stumbled and fell too,
But Fact remained,
And pulled Faith back
And Faith brought feeling too.
~Author Unknown
2. Faith has nothing to do with probability.
George Mueller, "The process of faith begins where probabilities cease. It is not probable that a little shepherd boy could kill a giant with a slingshot. Probability says no, but faith says yes."
[bunch of untrained Jews could see a wall fall by walking around it / that rain would ever come and Noah need a boat / man could survive in a den of lions]
Doubt sees the obstacles. Faith sees the way.
Doubt sees the darkest night. Faith sees the day.
Doubt dreads to take a step. Faith soars high.
Doubt questions who believes? Faith answers I.
3. Faith has nothing to do with appearances.
2 Corinthians 5:7
(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
At the close of WWII the Allied Forces were searching abandoned homes and cars. They entered the basement of a house in ruins. A Jew had spent time in there, a victim of the holocaust. Scratched into the wall were these words: "I believe in the sun, even when it does not shine. I believe in love, even when it is not shown. And I believe in God, even when He does not speak."
Faith has nothing to do with appearances. It is the evidence of things not seen.
Appearance may say that God is nowhere to be found. Faith says, "He will never leave me, nor forsake me."
Appearance may sometimes say all things are gone haywire. Faith says, even the hairs of my head are numbered! God is in full control.
Appearance told the disciples, there's no need to fish any longer, we have tried all night in vain. Faith says, launch out into the deep, because Jesus said so!
George Mueller started an orphanage with 2 shillings [50 cents]. He had previously made up his mind that when in need, he would never ask a human being for help, but only God. Over the years those 2 shillings grew into 5 massive granite buildings covering 13 acres, capable of accommodating 2,000 orphans. Through prayer alone, Mueller saw $7 million given. More than once he sat at the table with hungry orphans without a grain of food in front of them, and blessed the food that God had on the way, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door!
Faith has nothing to do with appearances.
Why is it that we'd rather trust in other things for security, rather than the Lord? We need to put our faith in a better object!
ill.--a man fell off a cliff, and was hanging from a root he caught as he fell. He called out for help. "I'm here", said a voice. "Who are you?" "The Lord. I will help you, but you have to trust me." "OK." "Let go of the root." [pause] "Is there anybody ELSE up there?"
That is faith explained. Now let's see faith expanded...
...how can we make our shield of faith larger and increase our faith?
1. Faith grows gradually.
You don't obtain strong faith all at once any more than an infant becomes an adult all at once. It takes time, proper nutrition, and exercise.
ill.--Abraham is known for his faith. But in his early life, he lacked faith. Even in older years, he faltered. He wasn't just born a man of faith, it grew gradually.
ill.--J. Hudson Taylor was a pioneering missionary in China. [story of how it started small, and increased]
2. Faith grows Scripturally.
Faith comes by hearing...the Word of God.
Faith is trust. And the way you come to trust someone is by getting better acquainted with them.
ill.--there's some I would trust with money to the bank, or with my wife in a car, because I have come to know them. And the more we get to know our Lord, we come to know His power, wisdom, justice, and love and gentleness. We learn that this is true...
Psalm 9:9-10
9 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
3. Faith grows painfully.
Paul was a great man of faith. He suffered much for the Lord. And the two things go hand in hand.
Mueller: "Trials, difficulties, obstacles and bereavements...these are the very food of faith."
ill.--a little boy couldn't get a puzzle to go together...the last few pieces. He was so frustrated. He asked his little sister to help. In seconds she had done it. He asked her how. She showed him the front of the box. "I looked at the picture. You were looking at the pieces."
Life is sometimes like a puzzle. God holds the big picture. We hold the shield of faith when we believe Him for what we don't understand.
It's not about feelings, probabilities, or appearance. Faith is rooted in fact. It grows gradually, and sometimes painfully, by the Word of God. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. Grow our faith!
http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/shieldoffaith.html
