Ephesians 6:16

1. Ephesians 6:16

2. Today, let’s look at the Shield of Faith. • In particular, we are going to look at how important your faith is in This Present Warfare. • There’s a story of a Persian General who had an odd practice of offering spies sentenced to die 2 options: • Die by the Sword • Walk through the big, black door

3. The general was asked after the execution, “What’s behind the black door?” • To which he replied replied, “Freedom, but they always prefer the known to the unknown. People are afraid of that which is undefined and less certain. We gave him a choice. Behind the door is freedom, but few men are brave enough to take it.”

4. Faith is similar to this. • The decisions we make in faith are often undefined and less certain than the safe and secure ones. • Many miss God’s best because stepping out in faith involves trusting God to lead into the unknown. • God looks for those who trust Him without question. Hebrew 11:6 – For without faith, it is impossible to please God.

5. Don’t we as parents love it when our children trust us fully without question? • If you are trustworthy, your children will learn to trust what you say. • In the same way, God is more trustworthy than we are, and you learn He would never lead you astray. • You learn to trust Him without question.

6. What is faith? • Faithis complete reliance on God and a willingness to do His will. • It means to believe His promises even though we don’t see the answers yet. • Faith says God has already done it. • Hope says God will do it. • In other words, faith looks ahead and acts accordingly.

7. Faith also gives us the confidence to stand up to the attacks of the devil. • Even when our answers are delayed in coming and the devil is hammering us with countless lies. • That is why our Shield of Faith is so important in the battle we have against the devil.

8. Ephesians 6: 14-18 – Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit.(NKJV)

9. Paul reveals that we have 7 pieces battle armor to use in our fight. • Helmet of Salvation • Breastplate of Righteousness • Belt of Truth • Shoes of Peace • Shield of Faith • Sword of the Spirit • Lance of Intercession

10. The 5th piece of armor is the Shield of Faith. 16 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.(NASB) • It’s interesting to note that the Roman shield is attached to the soldier’s belt. • The 2 were inseparably linked.

11. Belt of Truth = Written Word of God • Shield = Faith • Conclusion = Your faith is inseparably attached to the Word of God. • The presence or absence of the Word in your life will determine the amount of faith you have. • More Word = More Faith • Less Word = Less Faith

12. Romans 10:17 – So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. (NASB) How do you grow your faith? • Through the Word of God. • That is why it is imperative that you set aside time daily to spend in the Word of God. • It is a matter of life and death spiritually! • If you give the Word of God priority in your life, your faith will grow.

13. Without giving the Word priority, you can make it to heaven, but you will not enjoy all the benefits of your salvation here. • The Word is central to everything else we possess in God: • Righteousness = Word • Peace = Word • Faith = Word

14. 2 Shields • Small, round Shield • This shield was about the size of a garbage can lid. • It was used in hand-to-hand combat &in parades. • Large Shield • Size of a door: 4’ by 2-1/2’ • And,doubled as a stretcher in battle. • This is the word Paul uses here.

15. This Shield Covered the Whole Soldier Romans 12:3b – Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. How much faith have you been given? • Enough to cover you in any circumstance. • It is adequate for any need that arises. • God has given you all the faith you need, but you have to develop it.

16. Water • Before the Romans went to battle, they would soak their shields in water. Why? • The enemy used arrows filled with combustible material and would ignite on contact. • The soldiers would hold these shields up and the fiery darts would be extinguished.

17. Ephesians 5:26 – To make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word.(NLT) • Water = Word of God How are we washed? • By the Word of God. • Our Word saturated shield of faith can extinguish the flaming arrows of the enemy.

18. Oil • The shield was made of 6 layers of animal hide sewn together. • The soldier had to rubit with oil on a daily basis. • If he failed to do this, it would become hard, brittle and stiff. • It would crack under the stress of battle.

19. Likewise, faith that is ignored will crack under the daily stress and challenges of life. • The soldier needed a daily application of oil and water in order to be prepared for battle. • We too need a daily time in the Word andin the presence of the Holy Spirit to keep our faith strong &ready.

20. Many believers make the mortal mistake of thinking they can move ahead on past experiences. • Thank God for the past experiences, but move past themwith new encounters with the Lord. • Keep your faithfreshand alive. • If we rely on past experiences, our faith runs the risk of becoming stale and stagnant.

21. Fiery Darts • Paul tells us that the devil is constantly shooting fiery darts at us. What are these arrows? • Words • You’ve heard, Sticks and stones may break my bones, but wordswill never hurt me. • Oftenhateful words are more painful than sticks and stones.

22. A pastor who used to say, Some in my congregation have me for lunch and occasionally they ask me to eat with them. Psalm 64:2-3 – Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from that noisy crowd of evildoers. They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows.

23. The Bible says these arrows are going to come. • If we’ve dipped our shields of faith in the water of the Word and anointed them with the oil of the Holy Spirit, the flaming arrows will simply fall off. • They won’t ignite.

24. What happens when a flaming arrow hits a house with a thatched roof? • The roof &the whole house will be engulfed in flames. • This is what the devil attempts to do with our emotions and our mind. • It’s his point of entry; it’s his foothold. • Don’t give him an inch or he’ll take a mile!

25. Lies • The enemy’s goal is to shoot an arrow of unbelief (opposite of faith) in your mind: • You’re going to die of cancer. • Your marriage is going to fail. • You are going to go under financially. • You’re insignificant. • God won’t answer YOUR prayers.

26. If you believe these flaming arrows, you empower them, and they will ignite in your life. • Negative faith empowers the devil’s lies to become a reality in your life. • But, also remember that the devil’s lies usually have an ounce of truth in them. • Otherwise, you probably would not believe them. • But, your shield of faithwill extinguish every lie of the devil.

27. Never Fight Alone • Also, your shield of faith will cause you to link up with God’s people. • Each Roman shield had little hinges on each side, so he could hook his shield with the shield of the soldiers on either side of him. • They could then form a powerful wedge.

28. That’s how the Roman armies conquered the world. • One line after another would march forward. • They often placed their spears between the two shields. • The important thing was they didn’t fight alone. • They were linked with other soldiers.

29. Imagine a soldier trying to take on an entire army by himself. • If you are trying to be a lone ranger in the Christian life, you’re going to stumble and get discouraged because you’re doing it alone. • That’s the beautiful thing about an army. • We have fellow soldiers to link up with. • There’s power in corporate faith.

30. That’s what Summit Church is all about. • That’s what every church is about. • We are here to link up with you to go into battle. • If I fall down, you are beside me to pick me up. • If you fall down, I am there beside you to pick you up. • We are arm-in-arm marching into battle.

31. Conclusion • The Shield of Faith is absolutely essential to our success in This Present Warfare. • Hold it up! • Link up with God’s people and stand firm in His power.

32. Every day the devil shoots his fiery darts at us. • We have to do our part and hold up a prepared shield of faith. • One that has been soaked in the water of God’s Word. • And has been anointed with the presence of the Holy Spirit. • God has already provided; we just need to be prepared.

33. Go on! What’re you waiting on? • Pick up your Shield of Faith to deflect and extinguish the fiery darts of the devil.

34. Ephesians 6:16