The Armor Of God 5 Of 8

For example, we often see race car drivers involved in some terrible accidents in their efforts to beat all the other drivers.

This is something that these drivers hoped never would happen, but it is something they expected to happen. This is why they have equipped themselves for these situations:

• Their car is equipped with roll bars

• They wear helmets that protect them from head injuries

• They wear clothing that is padded that gives them some protection on impact and from fire

A sensible race car driver would not think of entering a race without using this protection that is available to him.

Some who have never played football cannot help but wonder how those fellows can do what they do and not kill each other. But everyone who has been suited in a football uniform knows the protection that the uniform they wear provides for them.

A sensible football player would not think of playing without this uniform of protection.

It is common knowledge that there are some dangerous situations out there, and we need to be prepared for those situations in the event they may occur in our life.

We recognize that these bodies are not made for certain kinds of abuses and we must protect them.

The same thing is true spiritually, we must have some protection. God has given us the ARMOR OF GOD that we must wear every day.

• It is essential that we put on EVERY PIECE of the armor He has provided, because if we don’t, that is where Satan will attack us.

• It is essential that we put it on EVERY DAY, because if we don’t, that will be the day that Satan will attack us and do the most harm.

In this sermon, we want to look at another piece of armor that God wants us to PUT ON for our protection.

The fourth piece of armor we must PUT ON is the SHIELD OF FAITH. This piece of armor is somewhat different from the other pieces we PUT ON.

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT? This particular piece is not PUT ON our bodies like other pieces of armor, instead, it is something we must reach out and grasp and SKILLFULLY LEARN TO USE. This piece of armor is only good, as we learn how to use it.

Illus: You can have the best hand gun for your protection, but if you do not know how to load it and discharge it you are no better off than the man who does not have one at all.

We must learn how to use the SHIELD OF FAITH for our spiritual protection.

• One of the most dominating things you saw when you saw a Roman Soldier was the big shield that was placed before him

• A great deal of his training dealt with HOW TO USE IT

WHY WAS THIS A NECESSARY PART OF HIS TRAINING?

Because often he would find himself in the heat of the battle, and if he did not know how to take that shield and use it, he could not protect himself from all the arrows and javelins that were thrown at him.

Sad to say, many Christians today do not even recognize that the SHIELD OF FAITH is available to them, much less know how to use that shield.

Every day the devil is shooting arrows at them, and they are not even aware that it is the devil trying to destroy them.

• They think it is only a case of bad luck

• They think it is a mid-life crisis they are facing

• They think it is a post-Christmas depression

But all the time it is Satan hurling everything he can hurl at them to try and destroy them.

Therefore, if we are to understand the importance of FAITH in our spiritual battle against SATAN AND THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS, it is helpful to understand the importance of the SHIELD OF FAITH in physical combat.

I. EXAMINATION OF THE SHIELD

To examine this shield, we need to examine the shield of the Roman soldier, because Paul probably had this in mind as he spoke of the SHIELD OF FAITH.

Let’s look at the-

A. CONSTRUCTION OF THE SHIELD

The shield which Paul speaks of in this passage is not the small, round, shield which would be called a "buckler."

This shield is a long shield which measured approximately four feet by two feet, and the profile of it was contoured to fit the body.

Every time we see these Roman soldiers in a Hollywood movie, they are carrying a shield made of metal.

But actually this was not the case. These military shields were constructed of wood and covered on the outside with thick leather.

The leather: