Sunday Worship 11.00 am and 6.30 pm Minister: Dr William (Bill) J M Parker
12. The Shield of Faith – Ephesians 6:16 and 1 Peter 5:8-11 - 22/04/18 (am)
Spiritual Warfare
Sermon Date: 22/04/18 (am)
The Shield of Faith – Ephesians 6:16 and 1 Peter 5:8-11
Main Teaching Point:
Take up the shield of faith!
In Ephesians 6:16 the Apostle introduces 3 more pieces of armour with the words In addition to all this take… . Two observations:
1. The Christian Soldier must be clothed in the full armour of God to stand against the Devil (Ephesians 6:11, 13).
2. The next 3 pieces of armour are taken up as opposed to strapped on.
The Roman Soldier’s Shield
Two shields are associated with Roman Soldiers: a small round shield for close combat and, the one referred to here, a larger oblong shield. This shield was 1.3 m x 0.75 m, made of wood covered with cloth/leather and reinforced with metal. It was like a door! [the Greek words are similar: thureos
(shield) and thura
(door)]. Often arrows were dipped in tar, or had the shaft wrapped in flammable cloth, before being ignited and shot. They could cause a horrendous wound. However, this shield’s metal lining prevented penetration and the leather covering soaked in water extinguished flames.
The Flaming Arrows of the Evil One
The Christian’s shield of faith is used to extinguish the flaming arrows of the Devil (Ephesians 6:16b). These are temptations inciting sinful thinking and/or behaviour: suggestions shot into a Christian’s mind designed to wound, confuse, incapacitate.
- Blasphemous/Immoral thoughts.
- Distractions from private worship (You need to stop that and go feed the cat!) and public worship (You’re too tired for this!). Satan is busy in the Meeting House and dwelling house!
- Doubts. About God’s love/care (Genesis 3:1-5).
- Fears.
- Accusations. God could never accept you with your past and present failings.
- False teachings.
The list goes on: temptation to pride, envy, lust, despair, greed, bitterness/anger/hatred [over past hurts], telling lies, giving up. Are you aware of any of this? If such arrows are not extinguished they can cause great spiritual harm. When the arrows come you may not even associate them with Satan. How do you extinguish these arrows?
The Christian’s Shield of Faith
Take up the Shield of Faith (1 Peter 5:8-9; 1 John 5:4). What Faith is being spoken of? Trust in God.
- The Christian goes to God for refuge (Psalm 3:3; 18:2; 144:2; Proverbs 30:5; 1 Peter 5:8-9).
- The Christian quickly uses resources God gives: (s)he lays hold of God’s power (Philippians 4:13); applies Bible truth to whatever Satan shoots (Hebrews 11:1).
- If hit with blasphemous/immoral thoughts chase them. Affirm your love for God
- If hit with doubts of God’s love go to John 3:16, Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5
- If tempted to sin go to Genesis 39, Romans 6:11-14
- If reminded of past sins remember that in Christ all your sins are forgiven.
- If as the result of Enemy/Friendly fire, Satan shoots arrows of anger, bitterness, frustration, and hits his target … forgive those who hurt you! Cf. Romans 12:21; 2 Timothy 4:14.
Using the shield emphasises the importance of knowing the content of the Bible.
The Only Sure Defence against the Skilled Enemy Archer
Christian, you are a soldier in a spiritual battle facing an excellent enemy archer. He will hit his target – your mind – with his flaming arrows! Your only sure way to extinguish them quickly so that they do not cause damage is by using the Shield of Faith. Then you will successfully stand against the schemes of the Devil.
© Dr Bill Parker, 2018